Take Down
by dieselsbabe
Summary: After PB, Riddick meets up with an old friend, a woman with a special talent, (and later a familiar face), on a mission to take out a drug company.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer:  I don't own anything from Pitch Black.  This is all for fun and I'm not making any money out of it.  Enjoy.

After the three lone survivors were rescued, Imam and Jackie went on to New Mecca.  Of course Jackie was hesitant to go but she understood that it might not be safe for her to stay with Riddick.  

Riddick, whoever, met up with a man named Eric Briggs, a guy he's known for a long time.  They both worked for the Company during the time Riddick was set up to take their fall.  Eric was helpless to do anything about it.  He knew how smart and resourceful Riddick was and he only hoped he didn't kill everyone in Slam before he busted out.

You can imagine his surprise when Riddick finally caught up with him.  Eric was dropping off some cargo and filling up on supplies at the space station Riddick was staying on temporarily.  As he was preparing to leave the following day, he and Riddick accidentally ran right into each other.  They both turned ready for a fight but could only stare.

"Is that you, Riddick?"  Riddick nodded and then they hugged. A manly hug of course.

"I doubt they let you go, so when did you bust out?"  Eric said, giving him a slap on the back as they headed to his ship.

"Actually, that merc Johns was transporting me back to Slam after I had already busted out.  Unfortunately, for him that is, the ship we were on crashed."  Riddick continued with his story about the alien planet and their fight for survival.  He told them that he and the other two survivors decided that they should move on with their lives and forget about that horrible planet and all the suffering that came with it.  After he was through, Eric looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking.

"Man, that's rough.  So what do you plan on doing now?" he asked, watching his friend.

"I don't know.  Change my file, find work," he said, resting his elbows on his knees.  "What are you up to these days?"  He glanced up at Eric.

"I do odd jobs for people," he said, but suddenly snapped his fingers.  "In fact, I've been researching this facility that's just gone up.  It's called Bi-Lines.  They specialize in chemical warfare.  To be more specific, they plan on releasing their newfound research onto neighboring planets.  Then they'll be the only company that has the cure and of course then be charging an arm and a leg for it.  I've been hired to take it down," he finished, shaking his head in disgust.

"So, you plan on doing this yourself?"  Riddick was a little confused.

"No, I just haven't got a team together yet, but if you're interested," he didn't finish because Riddick cut in.

"Count me in."  This was just what he was looking for.

"I was hoping you would want in.  There are four more people I need to pick up and I'll have everyone I need."  He placed a hand on Riddick's shoulder.  "There's more to it."  Riddick looked at him skeptically.

"Like what?" he asked with caution in his voice.

"All we know about this company is their location.  With all our research, we haven't been able to dig up any schematics on the building.  No blue prints, no maps, nothing."  They walked onto Eric's ship for more privacy.

"What do you mean by 'we'?  I thought you didn't have a team yet?"  Riddick asked.

"The company that hired me to do the job.  Marisphere.  They're legit in the drugs and chemicals they make and they want to take down Bi-Lines.   I think it's more like a power struggle but it's for a good cause."  Eric stopped walking and turned to face Riddick.   "I've been looking into a crew and I decided I want to keep it small.  So, the guy in charge told me this morning that he found someone to be our sixth and final.  Supposed to be the best.  Has some kind of weird talent.  Whoever it is can step into a building and automatically knows where everything and everyone is.  They are now our map."  Eric started flipping switches, checking everything for departure.  "The sooner you get your shit, the sooner we can leave."

"Got it.  I'll be back in ten."  Riddick hurried off the ship and almost ran to his quarters.  He grabbed the few belongings he had acquired while staying there, and headed back to the ship.  Everything was ready when he got back and after securing his stuff and himself, they took off.

A couple days later, they arrived on Aliason Station to make arrangements with Captain Moore to take their sixth crew member in two months.  There was a lot of planning to do that didn't involve this person but they wanted to inform them of what was going on.  The last thing they wanted was for this person to leave and have to track them down again. 

The Captain was associated with the man that hired Eric.  He met them at the loading bay when they arrived.  Eric and Riddick walked down the ramp and noticed the Captain eyeing Riddick.

"Don't worry, Captain.  He's on my team."  The Captain seemed to relax and introductions were made.  "So, what have you got for us?"  Eric was eager to finish up and get on with more pressing tasks.

Her names Skye," but that's all the Captain got out.

"Whoa, did you say her?"  Eric put his hands up in disbelief.  "This is going to be very dangerous, you know."

"I know but she's the only one who can help you."  The Captain turned and led them away from the ship.  Riddick put a hand on Eric's shoulder to calm him down.

"What's the problem?"  Riddick asked in a low voice.

"I already have a woman on our team and I think that's all I can handle."  Riddick understood what he was talking about but he figured they were going to need the best.

"Let's just see who she is," Riddick said.

"Fine.  Who is she?"  Eric gave in and followed the Captain.

"Her name is Skye and she's been with us for a few years.  We had her tested to see how good she was.  We set up a very complicated maze and she walked through it like it was nothing.  Not one mistake.  She could even do it in the dark."  The Captain stopped and then yelled out.  "Skye.  Can you come here for a moment?"  Riddick and Eric looked in the direction the Captain was calling and watched a woman walk over to them. 

Riddick remained silent but Eric almost threw a fit.  

Skye was not in any shape to go on this kind of mission.  She was a little overweight and she probably couldn't even climb a flight of stairs. When she got to them the Captain introduced them and Eric managed to keep his cool while Riddick still continued to keep his cool.

"These are the men you will be going with on that mission I was discussing with you."  She eyed the two guys acting deceptively shy. "You can go back to work and I'll come over and talk to you later."  She nodded to the Captain and went back to her work.  Riddick could feel the tension building up in Eric and tried to ward it off with a squeeze of his shoulder.  He seemed to understand Riddick and when he spoke he sounded calm.

"First of all, Captain, if we take her with us she's gotta get in shape.  Sure she might have he little talent but she's no good to us if she can't hold her own," Eric said.  Riddick stood by his side still not saying anything.  He was watching Skye.  There was something about her that kept Riddick's eyes glued to her.

"You have two months to get her ready and if she's not, we'll have to do this the hard way."  Eric stood his ground.

"She'll be ready.  I assure you."  The Captain gave his word, shaking their hands before leaving them alone to go talk to Skye.  Eric noticed Riddick's attention was on Skye and he had to smile.

"Something catch your eye, big guy?" Eric asked, amused.  Riddick gave him a smirk in return.

"Just checking her out."  Riddick tore his gaze from her to look at Eric.

"Uh, huh," he said, full of humor.  Riddick turned and walked up the ramp to the ship and Eric followed.

"So, what do you think?"  Eric trusted Riddick's instincts about people and this time would be no different.  He figured he hadn't changed that much since the last time they'd worked together.

"She'll be ready," he said using the Captain's exact words.

Skye watched the two men board the ship as the Captain approached her.  The one that had been talking to the Captain was tall but not as tall as the other one.  He had blonde hair, cut short, blue eyes, muscular build, but nothing like his partner, and a boyish face.  However, the one that caught her attention first was the tall one with the dark goggles.  Shaved head, tanned skin, very well built, beautiful lips, and a coolness about him that intimidated even her.  He was watching her the whole time and she knew it.  The dark goggles couldn't hide anything from her.  She could see through them right to his shined eyes.

She noticed the blonde was about to lose it while he was talking to the Captain and she knew why.  There wasn't much she could offer them except what was in her head.  The tall one kept his cool and even managed to restrain the other one.  Her thoughts were interrupted by the Captain.

"Skye.  They want you trained and in shape before they come back to get you in two months or you're out."  He tried to put it nicely but that was always impossible.

"_They want me trained?" she asked, wanting to know exactly who wanted it._

"Well, Eric suggested it."

"Figures," she mumbled under her breath.

"What?" the Captain asked.

"Oh, nothing."  She didn't realize she had said it that loud.  "Riddick, Riddick.  Where have I heard that name before?" she asked.

"Richard B. Riddick," the Captain said, giving her his full name.  Realization struck her and her breath caught in her throat.

"You mean the killer?" she gasped out.

"Yes, but he was only a killer out of necessity.  The Company set him up to take their fall.  Personally, I'm glad he's on our side."  The Captain was on the side that didn't like corporation such as the Company and Bi-Lines.  He kept up with all the wrong doings concerning the Company and that's how he knew of Riddick's story.  He was shocked when he first saw him, knowing that the Company had done everything in their power to keep him locked up for good.  Obviously, they had underestimated him.

"Yea, me too."  Skye watched the ship depart and then turned to the Captain.  "Whatever you need to do to get me ready, I'm all for it."

"I knew you would be.  I'll get a trainer for you and get you started."  He left Skye to her thoughts.  She had never really had a reason before to be in shape but she had also lived her life alone and content to not interact with others.  Things were about to change. 


	2. Chapter 2

Over the next two months, Riddick and Eric were busy with getting all the equipment they would need, surveillance of the building, changing Riddick's file, and mostly, travel.  Part of their crew was picked up at Parius.  It was a pretty sleazy mining planet but the people they picked up were nothing like it.

What Riddick saw was very interesting to his shined eyes.  Three people approached the ship and were met by Eric.  Two men and one woman.

Riddick stood at the ramp and waited for the introductions that would soon follow.

"Riddick, this is Alex.  He's our hacker.  Probably the best I've ever met."  Riddick eyed the young man carefully before nodding his acknowledgement.  He was kind of nerdy and not very strong and Riddick wondered what the big deal was about Skye.  As she was now, she could probably kick this guy's ass.

"This one is, Kyle.  He was on Special Forces Operations for the Military and he can fix anything."  Kyle was tough and mean-looking.  Nothing compared to Riddick of course.  Again, Riddick nodded.

"Last but not least, Raven.  She can pilot and she knows a little of the medical stuff."  Riddick looked her over with interest.  She had beautiful hair that was a deep red and her eyes were an intense blue.  Normally, he would be all over her when they got alone but he had a feeling she didn't swing his way.

"Everyone, this is Riddick."  Riddick watched the three to see what kind of reaction they would give him.  Alex looked a little nervous but the other two seemed more interested in him than nervous.

"Wow, I never thought I'd be working with you," Kyle said.

"I think it's cool."  Raven said, approaching him.  "I've heard a lot about you and it's not the stuff they put out for the public to read."  She held out her hand and Riddick took it.  "It's good to be on your team."  Riddick was pleasantly surprised at the strength in her handshake.

The team moved up the ramp with Riddick and Eric in the lead.

"You think it's cool?"  Alex whispered to Raven.

"Hell, yea.  Just look at him.  All hot and sexy, mean looking, strong, and not to mention smart.  Be glad he's on our side."  Raven slapped him on the shoulder and walked ahead of him, not seeing him wince in pain.  Riddick had heard the conversation and wondered if he was wrong about her.  He doubted that.  He wasn't wrong about much.

Everyone seemed to get along.  Alex was quiet, Kyle was sometimes a little overbearing, and Raven was a tease.  She took to bantering the guys just for fun.  Sometimes, Kyle and Eric would chase her around and the first place she would head for 'protection' was Riddick.

"Help!" she would scream as she hid behind him.  He would just stand there actually surprised that he was enjoying himself.  The two men would approach him slowly but they never got past him.  All he had to do was cross his arms over his chest and stare them down.   

"You're lucky, little girl," Kyle would say, giving up.  This is how it went for two months around their planning and surveillance and Riddick soon found himself the one to start some of the chases.  Of course none of the guys could keep her 'protected'.  They always took off when Riddick got close to them.  Alex never tried anything, he was too nervous.  Most of his time was spent on the computer researching everything he could about Bi-Lines.  He didn't like surprises.

Part of their surveillance was figuring out the guard rotation.  They had all the equipment they would need to disarm any alarms and they had Skye for their map, but they still needed to know what to expect.  

They landed on Maylon, a remote planet mostly made up of forests and mountains.  The seasons were like that of earth.  Right now, it was autumn moving quickly into winter.  Bare trees, frozen ground, and the cold air made evident how brutal this winter would be. 

Riddick and Kyle took up a position on a ridge to the south of the main entrance while Raven and Eric took their position just opposite, on ground level.  The day was dark and colder than any of them were used to but they had a job to do.  Sporting heavy army issued jackets and clothes to blend in; they all got down to business.  

Mini cameras were set up at the two points, one for watching the front entrance and the other for the back.  Riddick set up the signal so Alex could get the video feed, back on the ship and Kyle kept an eye on the surrounding area.

Bi-Lines was pretty secluded but not heavily guarded.  In their haste to continue their research, the building security wasn't fully in place.  By the time they got back, it might be harder to get in than they were able to handle.  That's where the cameras will come in handy.  They'll be able to monitor any changes in the facility and the cameras were too well camouflaged to ever be found.

"Hey, Alex.  Is it workin' for ya?"  Riddick pressed on the ear piece he was wearing as he spoke to Alex.

"You're up and runnin'," Alex said.  Riddick carefully moved back from the edge of the ridge when he spotted movement below.  He reached out quickly and grabbed Kyle by his jacket and pulled him down.

Raven and Eric were circling the compound so they could meet back at the ridge.  Their only problem was the two guards coming out of the front door and heading right for them.

"Eric, two guards, south.  Headed your way."  Kyle spoke as quietly as he could into his mouth-piece.  They both crouched down and watched, helpless to do anything.  If anyone got caught, it was over.  The guards got closer but Raven grabbed Eric and pulled him behind one of the dead trees before they were spotted.  Kyle let out a breath of relief.  Riddick's breathing was slow and even as his eyes remained fixed on the scene below him.

Raven and Eric remained out of sight behind the tree as the guards approached.  The two men weren't really looking around like they should have been.  Talking about who knows what and hurrying through their rounds just to get out of the cold.  Luck was on their side today.  The guards didn't even patrol the entire area.  If that's what's to be expected, this was going to be a piece of cake.

Finally, Raven and Eric were able to join them on the ridge.

"That was close," Kyle said.

"Really," Eric said sarcastically.  "You should have been down there."

"Come on, let's go," Riddick said as he walked away from the group.

"You're lucky Raven pulled you behind that tree."  Kyle wasn't giving up.

"Yea, well I got even luckier after we got behind the tree," he said giving Raven a smile.

"Shut up, prick," she said, giving him a good punch in the arm.  Riddick rolled his eyes behind his goggles.  'This was going to be fun' he thought. ****

*****Every story has to start out slow but I promise it gets better.  I hate reading boring stories as much as I hate writing them, so please keep reading.  Reviews welcome. ******


	3. Chapter 3

Before they knew it, they were back at Aliason Station.  Riddick and Eric were escorted to the Captains quarters to make the final arrangements while the others filled the supplies.

"I'm pleased to tell you that Skye has worked very hard the past two months and I'm very proud of her.  She used to be a quiet shy person, but it seems her confidence has grown."  The Captain spoke as he led them out into the hall.  It was very early and they didn't encounter many people as they walked through the halls.

"We'll be the judge of that."  Eric said.  As they reached a T-section of the hallway, they could hear the sound of a couple people running.  Riddick carefully stepped into the junction, not wanting to get plowed.  There were two women jogging side by side.  One had her red hair pulled up but the other was wearing a hat.  Her hair was pulled out the back and a cascade of black curls fell down her back.  That one was Skye.

As the two women ran by, Skye caught Riddick's eyes and held them as she passed, turning her head to watch him until he was behind her.  She recognized him but did he recognize her?

Riddick knew right away that it was Skye.  He was very impressed.  Her shorts revealed well-formed muscles in her thighs and calves and her tank top also revealed very muscular arms.  Eric watched the exchange and gave a low whistle.

"Looks like you got an admirer," Eric said, punching Riddick in the arm.  Riddick didn't flinch or even take his eyes off the retreating figure but when the Captain yelled, they both nearly jumped.

"Skye!"  The Captain had stepped out into the hall.  "Loading bay, one hour."  Skye's only acknowledgment that she heard him was a raise of her hand.  Eric did a double take.

"That was Skye?" he asked in amazement.

"Told ya she'd be ready."  The Captain said as he turned and headed to the loading bay.

"Wow," was all Eric could say.  Riddick watched the two women round the corner before turning his attention on Eric.  He was met with a grin that made him want to knock Eric to the ground.

"What?" he said gruffly, turning to follow the Captain.

"She was checking you out, man and I think you were doing the same."  Eric caught up to him but laughed when Riddick didn't respond.

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"Who was that?"  Kayla asked Skye after they had rounded the corner.

"The two guys I'll be working with for awhile."  She said.

"Did you see the big one?  He was hot."  Skye laughed at her friends' confession.

"I know."  Skye agreed.

"Just think, you get to be on a ship with those two guys.  How lucky can you get?"  Suddenly Skye was very nervous.  She could handle herself but being on a ship with two guys like that?  This was going to be a tougher mission than she thought.  She wasn't aware of the other crew that had been picked up.

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The three men were standing in the loading bay talking and waiting for Skye.

"Maybe we should test her somehow to see if she really is ready?"  Eric asked to no one on particular.

"Oh, I assure you Mr. Briggs, that she needs no testing.  She's been training with one of our best for two months."  The Captain said trying to reassure him.  Eric turned to Riddick for his advice.

"How did you plan on testing her, anyway?"  Riddick asked.

"I don't know," Eric said, almost giving up on the idea. A sudden commotion made them all turn towards one of the docking bays that just had a shuttle land.

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After a quick shower, Skye grabbed her bag and headed to the loading bay.  Upon entering, she heard shouting and quickly dropped her bag and ducked out of sight.  From her viewpoint, she could see a man holding a woman against him with a knife to her throat.  She scanned the area and soon spotted Riddick, Eric, and the Captain.  It looked like Eric was making a move to the guy who started all this but Riddick held him back.   She immediately admired Riddick.  He was smart and knew that Eric's approach would cause more of a problem.

Skye quietly made her way closer to the man.  She waited for him to move the knife away from the hostage just enough for her to make a move.  When he did, she stumbled out of her hiding place like she didn't know what she was getting into.  With quick moves, she managed to push the woman away from him and allowed herself to be caught by the guy.  Her eyes found Riddick's and she saw him trying to hold back Eric a second time.

The man was shouting something about bad guys chasing him and some sort of plot for his death.  Skye ignored him and focused on the position of his body.  She leaned back into him causing him to stumble a bit, and quickly grabbed his wrist to avoid getting cut.  He stopped shouting his accusation and started shouting in pain when Skye moved his arm to his side, flipped him over her back, twisted his arm again so he was on his stomach, and kneeled on his back.

Without saying a word, Skye looked up to see Riddick and Eric running to her.  The Captain had run off to get security.  When the two men got there, Riddick moved Skye gently away from the man and secured him.  He picked him up off the floor and moved him across the room for security to handle.

"You're not ready.  That was probably the dumbest move I've ever seen."  Eric was harsh in his choice of words.  Riddick looked over at them, listening to their conversation as he helped security.

"You know what?"  Skye kept her voice low and calm.  "I put myself in that position so I wouldn't have to worry about somebody else's life because I know I can handle my own.  I took control of the situation without that bastard even realizing it."  She brushed past Eric, making sure to knock him back a bit, and headed over to where Riddick was.  Riddick looked up at her from his kneeling position on the floor.

"Nice job.  Good tactic."  He said giving her a slight smile.  That was the first time she'd seen him smile, let alone really hear his voice.  Her knees became jelly at the sight of his smile and she almost passed out at the sound of his deep baritone voice but she didn't.

"Thanks.  At least someone thinks so," she said looking back at Eric who was still standing there.  Riddick followed her gaze to his friend.

"I think he's just worried because you're a woman."  Skye looked back at him and almost laughed.

"And you're not worried?"  She asked as he met her eyes again.  His smile was bigger than before.

"I knew you could handle it."  His tone then became serious again.  "But I'll know when you can't and you can trust me to be there to back you up.  Eric, as well."  She watched him for a moment.  No man has ever shown concern for her and suddenly two men that she didn't even know were showing it.  Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt the presence of a hand on her shoulder before it was even there.  She didn't need to turn to know who it was.  Along with her little talent, her senses were incredible.  Everyone had a distinct scent and she could now recognize Eric's.

"Look, I'm sorry I over-reacted.  It won't happen again."  Skye looked at him over her shoulder.

"It's okay because I understand where you're coming from."  She turned so she could face him and he held out his hand and she took it.  Little did any of them know exactly how close they would all become in a matter of days.

Riddick stood up behind her.  She glanced back at him and then again at Eric.  She wasn't short but her eyes met Riddick's lips but with Eric, they were almost eye to eye.

"Let's get your stuff and get the hell out of here.  We've got a three week trip ahead of us."  Eric said and waited to follow Skye to show him to her stuff.

"I'm going to say good-bye to the Captain and my friend.  I'll be right back."  Riddick and Eric watched her jog over to the Captain and speak briefly with him before hurrying to her friend, the red head.

Eric loaded the rest of their stuff while Riddick watched Skye with growing interest.  She hugged her friend fiercely before making her way back to them.  There were a lot of different sides to her and he's only seen the beginning.  As she got closer, he noticed she kept her head down.

"You okay," he asked with genuine concern.  She looked up at him and he noticed the tears.

"She's the only friend I've had and I'm going to miss her."  She wiped angrily at the tears.  Riddick didn't know exactly what to do.  This kind of stuff was still too new for him.  When she turned her head, he caught sight of blood on her neck.  That was something he could handle.

"Whoa, you're cut," he said.  He put his hands on her chin to keep her head from turning back and he ran his other fingers over the cut. 

"I guess that guy got me a little," she said as she also reached up to feel the wound.

"It's not bad.  You'll live."  Riddick's hand brushed over hers and they both stopped, feeling the electricity from their contact.

"Come on you guys." Eric said from inside the ship.  Riddick shook his head slightly and motioned for her to go first.  Skye finished wiping the blood off her neck as she walked up the ramp and met Eric inside.

"I want you to meet the rest of the crew," he said, not seeing to confused look on her face.  Skye felt sudden rush of relief as she realized she wouldn't be alone with these two.  She met the rest of the crew and could see almost instantly that everyone was at ease with each other.  A little unusual since they all had barley met up two months ago but it was still a good sign.

Once they had everything secure, they all got strapped in for take off.  Skye was suddenly feeling a little homesick.  Aliason Station had been her home for the past few years and even though she was surrounded by people, she felt alone. ****

****Thanks for the review, Ariel.  I feel pumped up now.  Everyone, keep reading and remember; review, review, review. 


	4. Chapter 4

After the course was set for Draven Sector, Skye was shown around the ship, which was totally unnecessary.  She already knew where everything was.  There was a kitchen/dining area, a workout room, engine room, three bedrooms, and unfortunately, one bathroom.  The setup of the ship was like an H.  The cockpit was of course at the front, a few stairs leading up from the cockpit led to an open room.  Kind of like the living area.  It had a vid screen, computer, other electronic equipment, and a nice view of the stars.  From there, there were two hallways leading in the same direction.  One on either side of the room.  This made up the H.  The left hallway led to the guys' rooms, the right led to the kitchen, and the girls' room.  The hallway that cut across the center, completing the H, led to the bathroom and the workout room.  Any of the other rooms in that area were mainly used for storage.

Eric and Riddick were in one room, Kyle and Alex shared the other one, and Raven and Skye got the last one.

"When you're done unpacking, meet us in the kitchen.  We'll make you breakfast."  Eric then left her to herself.  She put her few belongings away and took a quick look around the room.  Cozy enough, but she wasn't used to sharing a room.

Riddick had already started on breakfast when Eric came in.

"She seems kind of distant and quiet," Eric said thoughtfully as he took a seat at the table.

"Well, how do you think she feels being stuck on this ship with us as the crew?"  Riddick asked not expecting and answer.

"We gotta get her comfortable with us if we want to pull this off successfully and I think I have an idea."  Riddick glanced over at him about to ask him what he was going to do when Skye walked in.

"Hey, guys."  She stopped when she got through the door and sniffed the air.  "Smells good."  She walked over to Riddick and peaked around him at what he was cooking, letting her cheek rest on his shoulder.  "That relieves one worry I had," she said referring to the food they'd be eating.

She joined Eric at the table and when Riddick was done, he served them and joined them last.  They all talked about themselves but they both had a hard time getting much out of Riddick.  Unintentionally, Eric and Skye teamed up against him.

"Come on; tell me anything about yourself, please."  She put on the cute little girl face but it seemed to have no effect on him.  Eric on the other hand started laughing.

"Hey, Riddick.  Tell her about all the women you've had."  Riddick didn't find that amusing at all.  

"Not much to tell."  He glared over at Eric.  'Was this his idea on how to get her to be comfortable with them, at his expense?'  Riddick thought to himself.

"Okay, then tell me how you pick up all these women?" she could not believe she just asked him that.  He turned back to her, a slow seductive smile forming on his lips.  He leaned in close.

"I don't.  They always pick up me."  Skye's jaw dropped but she regained her composure.  She knew he wasn't lying about that one.  

"Hey, Skye.  Tell us how you pick up men?"  Eric said in between laughs.

"I don't and they don't pick up me," she said, suddenly feeling flushed.  Eric started laughing so hard he couldn't breathe.  It was contagious and Skye couldn't contain the giggle that made it's way out of her mouth.

"I guess Riddick's the only lucky one in the group," he managed to gasp out.

"So you've been in training for awhile, right?"  Riddick's question confused Skye into silence.

"Yeah, why?" she asked cautiously.

"You can run, right?"  She looked at him for a minute before answering.  Eric was still laughing.

"Yeah."  As soon as she answered, Riddick gave Eric a good push, sending him to the floor and turned back to Skye.

"Then you better start running," he smiled, hoping she would get that it was all a game.  She squealed as she ran from the room.  Riddick casually got up for the chase, carefully stepping over a still laughing Eric.

The hallway was dark so Riddick moved his goggles to his forehead.  Skye had already disappeared somewhere.  He was sniffing the air as he walked trying to pick up her scent when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.  Turning quickly to his right, he ran down the hall after what he was sure was Skye.  Alex, Kyle, and Raven were busy in the engine room so it had to be her.  

As he neared the corner, he slowed down.  She was right there, he could smell her.  Without looking, Riddick reached around the corner and grabbed the front of her shirt, pulling her into his sights and pinned her against the wall.  She was only slightly winded from the running but her breathing became quick when Riddick pinned her to the wall.

"Got ya," he whispered, leaning in close.  Skye closed her eyes and breathed him in.  There was something in his scent that made her glad he was holding her up.  He smelled really good and her legs started giving out.  His body was pressed against her hard enough for her to feel the details of his muscles underneath his clothes.  It was a little hard to breath but the feel of his body on hers; breathing was the last thing on her mind.

"Where are you guys?"  The sound of Eric's voice distracted Riddick enough for Skye to get loose and take off down the hall.  All it took for Riddick was a few steps and he was able to wrap his arm around her, turn her, and throw her onto his shoulder.  She screamed and laughed as he carried her back to the kitchen.  He held her tight around the legs and she braced herself, putting her hands on his lower back.

Eric was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, watching in amusement, as Riddick and Skye got closer.  Riddick snarled at him as they passed and Eric leaned down to get a good view of Skye's face.

"Having fun yet?" he asked.  Her response was giving him the bird.  He smiled.  Riddick set her back on her feet and pointed to her chair.

"Sit and finish eating."  Riddick turned away but a sudden beeping sound made him and Eric head for the door.  Skye started to get up but Riddick put a hand out behind him and pointed at her.

"Stay," he said, without looking at her.  Why did that make her feel like the family pet?  Thoughts ran through her head as she finished eating.  She decided that she liked those two even though Riddick sometimes scared her and Eric could sometimes act like a jerk, but so could anybody.  Skye put the dishes away and went to look for the guys.

Riddick was sitting in the pilot's seat and Eric was pacing behind him.

"Still gonna meet me?"  The man on the vid screen asked.

"Yea, but can we change the meeting place," Eric asked, leaning over Riddick's shoulder.

"No, we still meet at Starks.  One week."  The screen went blank.  Riddick leaned back in the chair and ran a hand over his jaw.  Eric began pacing again.  Starks was probably one of the sleaziest clubs in the universe and even Riddick wouldn't venture into it for fun.  It wouldn't be a problem but now they had Skye to worry about.  She needed to be there to get the same information that they got because, after all, it was the three of them that had to actually go into Bi-Lines.

"So, what do we do now?"  Eric stopped pacing and sat heavily in the co-pilot's chair.

"We do what we had planned to do."  Riddick stared out at the stars with his goggles, still on his forehead.

"What about Skye?"  Riddick turned to look at Eric.

"There are two of us.  She should be okay," Riddick said. This was the kind of place that a woman should never go in alone or even with another guy.  The men that frequented the club always seemed to think that a lady should be in the company of two men.  It was a pretty sick place.

"What's goin' on?"  Skye's voice startled the two men and they turned in their chairs to look at her.  'Damn, she's quiet.'  Riddick thought.

"We have to stop on Alpha Nine to pick up some information."   Eric did all the talking.

"What kind of information?"  Skye moved closer to them.

"We need to know what to do with this virus once we get it."    Eric stood up and leaned against the back of his chair.  "You know, how to destroy it properly."

"If that's all, then why do you seem a little nervous?"  Skye's question brought Riddick's attention to Eric.  'She must be pretty good, to know something like that' Riddick thought to himself.  Eric appeared calm but Riddick could tell he was nervous and now, so could Skye.  Eric shifted his weight, looking in Riddick's direction and then back at Skye.

"The meeting place is in a club called Starks and it's not the kind of place you ever want to see.  Very dangerous."  

"Can you change it?"  Skye was getting a little nervous.

"No, we tried."  Eric looked to the floor and Riddick decided to speak before he choked on the fear that filled the small cockpit.

"Skye, you'll be with us.  We won't let anything happen.  You probably should stay here but you'll be going with us into Bi-Lines and you need to be involved."  Riddick's voice was as reassuring as it got but Skye seemed to relax a little.

"Okay, when do we do this?"  The fear in the room was slowly dissipating.

"One week," Eric answered.  ****

****Now the story begins to pick up.  More romance soon.  Thanks Patlyn23 for the review.


	5. Chapter 5

Skye went back into the kitchen and was greeted by Raven.

"Hey, girl.  How ya holdin' up?"  Raven asked.  Skye felt pretty comfortable with her for some reason.

"I'm okay but I'm not feeling too great right now," she answered, taking a seat at the table.

"You're not pregnant are you?"  Raven asked.

"Not a chance in hell," Skye said.

"Okay, then it's probably just a change in gravity pressure.  You'll get used to it."  Raven joined her at the table.

"Will it be like this every time?"  Skye put her face in her hands as her stomach seemed to roll.

"No.  You probably won't even feel it next time."  Raven patted her arm reassuringly.

"Good."  Skye leaned back in her chair and looked at Raven.  "So, how did you get into this?"

"It's all about connection, my dear."  Raven leaned back and put her hands behind her head.  "You know.  I know someone who knows someone else that has heard about a job, blah, blah, blah, and here I am."  Skye smiled.

"Did you know any of the others before you took this job?"  Skye asked.

"I've worked with Alex a few times and I know a lot about Riddick but I had never actually met him before this."  Skye nodded her head and got up to get a glass of water.

"Riddick," Skye said under her breath.  Raven looked over at her.

"Hey, you don't have to worry about him."  Raven stood up and walked over to the counter.  Skye didn't realize Raven could hear her.  "Let's just say, he was a good guy caught in a bad situation."  Skye looked away.

"I guess he seems okay," she said quietly.

"Look, he acts the way he does because he has to.  It's a survival tactic.  Shut out all emotion and it makes things a lot easier to deal with."  Raven watched her for a moment before continuing.  "Do you know why they don't want women fighting in a war with men?"  Skye shook her head 'no'.  "They can't handle seeing them blown to pieces.  As tough as they think they are, something like that always makes them linger, brings out emotions.  I think he's survived as long as he has because he's put all that emotion somewhere else."

Skye took in the information and a lot of questions popped in her head.

"Are you two together?" she asked slowly.  Raven laughed.

"No, he's not my type," Raven clapped a hand on Skye's shoulder.  Skye put her hands in her pocket, suddenly feeling weird.

"Let me ask you something," Skye had a hard time meeting her gaze.  Raven hopped up onto the counter across from Skye and got comfortable.

"Shoot," she said.

"Um, guys like Riddick, you know, that have been prisoners most of their lives," Skye shifted her weight not sure how to ask.  "I mean, I guess I didn't expect him to take such good care of himself," Raven tipped her head back and laughed again.

"So I guess you had your first run-in with him," Skye met Raven's gaze when she said that.

"My first?"

"Yea, but don't worry, he's just fuckin' with ya," Raven stopped laughing.  "But I know what you mean.  He smells good, doesn't he?"

"Yea.  But why would he even care?"  Skye didn't want to show Raven she was feeling something for him but she had to know.

"Let's see.  He's trying to persuade some information out of you and he's got you pinned to the wall," she started, rubbing her hands together.  "He smells damn good and he looks even better.  Tell me that's not convincing."  Raven hopped off the counter and moved closer to Skye.

"I guess you're right.  What about guys though?"  

"It freaks them out to find out that he's healthy, smart, takes care of himself.  That just means he's not crazy.  Crazy people are easier to deal with than the sane ones believe it or not."  Raven moved away and headed to the door.  "I have to get back to work, so try and enjoy yourself.  I'm sure tomorrow they'll put you to work."

Skye watched Raven leave.  This was going to be quite the adventure.  She put her glass in the sink and decided, despite her nausea, to work out and get it over with.

Skye headed for the workout room and was greeted with silence.  Everybody was working on other things on the ship and she had the place to herself.  She went through her routine very slowly.  Making sure she stretched properly and then letting herself get lost in the burn her muscles were feeling.  It made her feel alive.  By the time she was done she could hardly walk across the hall to the bathroom to shower.

She peeled her clothes off her body and stepped under the warm water.  Little rivulets of water snaked their way down her body, soothing away the strain from her workout.  She put her hands on the wall and leaned into the water letting it take her away.  It took her right to thoughts of Riddick.  She replayed the conversation she had with Raven about him and her little run-in with him earlier.  Suddenly she felt herself wanting to smell him again.  Wishing he was in the shower with her, watching the water run over the smooth skin that covered his hardened body.

There was no way she could be as bold as she wanted to, otherwise she would have hunted his ass down and dragged him in there with her. 

Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she stepped out of the shower and quickly dried off.  She was about to dry her hair when there was a knock on the door.

"I need to wash my hands.  Are you decent?"  It was Kyle.  She made sure the towel was wrapped tightly around her before she opened the door.  "Thanks.  This stuff is nasty and I didn't want to wash it off in the kitchen sink."  He was covered in grease all the way up to his elbows.

"No problem," she said, grabbing a bottle off the counter.  She leaned over, flipping her long black hair over, also.  Kyle turned to her as she smoothed the stuff in the bottle over her hair.

"What's that stuff?"  He asked.

"It's a kind of conditioner that will dry my hair in two minutes," she said, shaking her hair to help the process.

"Cool," he said and he watched her hair curl up as it dried.

"Come on.  What's the hold up?"  Riddick's voice boomed through the bathroom and Skye flipped her hair back up.  He was standing in the doorway, leaning up against the side, watching her behind his goggles.  Time seemed to stand still as they stared at each other.  Kyle looked from Riddick to Skye and then back to Riddick.

"Sheesh," he said, shaking his head.  "Could you two be more obvious?"  Kyle gave them a little chuckle, bringing Skye back to reality.  

"Kyle was just fascinated in the art of hair drying," she said sarcastically, trying to cover up her staring act.  Riddick smiled, barely.  Skye grabbed up her things and headed for the door.  Riddick stepped aside just enough for her to pass, moving his arms away from her so he wouldn't get grease all over her.  As she passed, she took a deep breath.  Even with the smell of the grease, she caught his scent.  She brushed up against him and felt herself get dizzy.  Sensory overload.  Either that or it was just the change in gravity as Raven had said and she couldn't stop what she said next.

"How I wish you had been here a few minutes ago."  Her comment confused Riddick but also made him wonder.  What was she doing a few minutes ago?

Riddick thought Skye looked pretty good in a towel and it turned him on to see that she got embarrassed by Kyle's comment and even more so with her comment to him on her way out the door.  There was something there and when she passed by him he wondered how long it would be before he could find out what it was.

Once inside her room, she dressed with shaky hands, in a pair of comfortable shorts and a loose tee-shirt.  She had no experience with men yet she felt this mission was going to an eye-opener.

It was pretty late for lunch and she wasn't hungry anyway.  She decided to lie on her bed and read.  The book took her places in her mind that she would never see in real life.  She was pulled into the fantasy lives of the characters and almost didn't notice when Raven came in.

"Hey, Skye.  Must be a good book.  You've been in here for ours now."  Skye looked up from her book a little confused.  She glanced over at the clock; surprised to see it was almost seven.  When she looked back she saw Raven stripping out of her clothes, uncaring that Skye was there.  Quickly, she looked back to her book with a blush forming on her cheeks.  Raven seemed very comfortable with herself and Skye wondered if she ever changed in front of the guys.

"Meet us for dinner.  Thirty minutes."  She smiled at Skye's embarrassment as she pulled on her robe.

"Okay," she said, finally looking up.  Raven left the room and Skye shook her head in disbelief.  ****

****Thanks for the review, Starlight.  I hope everyone keeps reading.  More hot chapters are ready and waiting for me to post and I promise this story will be completed.


	6. Chapter 6

Skye put on some boots and headed to the kitchen hoping to avoid another naked encounter with Raven.  She managed to make it to the kitchen just as Raven was coming out of the bathroom.

All four guys were in the kitchen but all conversation stopped as she came in.

"Please, continue," she said taking a seat next to Eric.  Alex was finishing up dinner and brining it to them.

"We were just talking about the mission.  No big deal," Eric said.

"Yea, more like his mission to score," Kyle said.  Eric leaned over the table and punched him in the arm, hard.  Skye pulled Eric back and put her other hand out to stop Kyle from retaliating.

"Knock it off," she said, trying not to laugh.  "Anyway, we've had this conversation before, remember?"  Eric sat back and they all accepted the food that Alex brought them.

"You guys start without me?"  Raven asked as she walked in.

"What did you expect?"  Kyle said, looking over at her.  "You women and your showers.  You two probably take longer showers than the four of us combined."  Raven took a swing at him and hit him in the same spot Eric did.  He grabbed his arm and looked over at Riddick.

"Don't look at me.  I'm not gonna help you out of this one," Riddick said.  Skye sat back and looked at him.  He didn't talk much but when he did she felt an odd tingle run through her body.  She couldn't pull her eyes away from him and she didn't realize he was looking right back at her.

Riddick never got close to anybody but he could actually see himself getting close to her.  He watched her throughout dinner while everyone was talking.  She listened intently to the conversations but occasionally she would look at him and he liked it.  Her eyes were a brilliant green and she had full pink lips.  He was wondering what the rest of her body looked like when he noticed she wasn't eating much.

Alex and Raven cleaned up the dishes while the others left.  Riddick approached Raven and gently grabbed her arm, so Alex couldn't see, to prevent her from leaving.  Alex continued out the door and when they were alone she turned to him.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Is Skye okay?"  Raven smiled at his concern for Skye.

"She's fine.  It's just the change in gravity pressure."  

"Right," he said.  She looked over his face, trying to see any emotion there.  There was a glimmer but it was gone just as fast as it had appeared.

"We just need to keep an eye on here for a couple days.  It'll pass."  She gave his arm a squeeze before she left the kitchen.

The rest of the evening was spent lounging around.  Alex was on the computer; Kyle and Raven were fighting over the vid screen, Riddick and Eric were going over plans in their room, and Skye was back to reading her book.  After a couple hours Raven decided to turn in.

She was practically taking her shirt off before she even got through the door.  Skye figured this was something she was just going to have to get used to.

"Riddick was asking about you," Raven said, as she got ready for bed.  Skye's interest was peaked and she looked over at Raven.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yea.  I guess he noticed you didn't eat much and he wanted to know if you were okay."  Raven jumped onto her bed and sighed.

"Oh," Skye said, as she put her book away.  She got up to take her pants off and change her shirt to a tank top.  

"Can I ask you something?" Raven sat up in bed and leaned against the wall.

"Sure."  Skye finished getting dressed and sat on her own bed across from Raven's.

"Why are you on this mission?"  Skye thought about that question for a moment.  

"Where should I start?" she said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"How about, the beginning?"  Raven said, stating the obvious.

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain.  I can see things."

"What things?"  Raven let her legs dangle over the side of the bed, leaning in closer.

"For example, when they gave me the tour of this place, they didn't need to.  I already knew where everything was."  It was clear that Raven was confused so Skye tried a different approach.  "Have you ever had déjà vu?"

"Yea,"

"I guess it's like that.  I can go anywhere and it feels like I've been there before.  Put me in a dark building and I can tell you where everything is.  People, rooms, what's in each room, which doors will be locked, the color of the walls, anything."

"That is so cool."  Raven got up and joined Skye on her bed.  "So, know one can hide from you?" she asked.

"When I concentrate on it, no one is safe."  Her eyes sparkled and she started to laugh.  Raven laughed along with her.

"Are you psychic?" Raven asked once they were done laughing.

"I can't see the future unless you call, 'I'll bet Kyle walks through the door in ten seconds', seeing the future."  She let that comment hang in the air.  Suddenly their door opened and Kyle walked in.  Raven turned towards the door, staring in shock, then she turned back to Skye mouth hanging open yet unable to speak.

"What the hell's going on in here?  We can here you guys laughing all over the ship."  Kyle stared at them for a moment.  

"Just girl stuff, now beat it," Skye said.  "And next time knock first."

"Fine."  He marched out of the room acting as if they had insulted him.

"Not psychic, my ass."  Raven finally got her voice back.

"I know it seems like it but I'm not."  Skye moved closer to Raven.

"Then how did you know Kyle was going to walk through the door?"  Confusion danced in her blue eyes.

"Like I was telling you before, I just know.  I can feel everybody on this ship and because I've been around everyone, I can tell who it is.  If it was someone I'd never met than I wouldn't know who it was, obviously.  I would just know that they were there."

"Wow."

"I hope I'm not confusing you," Skye said.

"No, it makes sense now."  Raven looked into Skye's eyes.  "Tell me something."  She stopped, pondering her next question.  Skye waited patiently.  "How come you haven't used your, what do you call it?"

"I don't think there's a word for it."

"Okay then, your 'sense'.  Anyway, why haven't you used it before now?"  That question surprised Skye but she knew the answer.

"It scares people."  Plain and simple.

"I can see how it would but man, the money you could have been bringing in." Raven stood up and walked over to small window they had.

"It's not that easy.  You see, the military, government, and big companies like Bi-Lines would see my 'sense' as a threat and they would either try to take me out or they would experiment on me, rather then put me to good use."  Raven looked a little upset as she sat back on her own bed.

"Sorry, I never thought about that."

"Don't worry.  I never thought about it either, until I got older.  The kids at the orphanage I was at teased me enough, helping me learn to keep my secret."  Skye said, getting up to pull down her covers.

"I don't get people.  Someone's a little different than the others and that automatically makes them a freak."  Raven looked sad yet angry at the same time and Skye couldn't stop looking at her.  "Anyone would be lucky to have you on their side."  A warm feeling spread through Skye's body.  No one had ever said anything like that to her.

"No, I'm the lucky one."  Skye sat down next to Raven and put her arm around her.  "I'm glad I'm on this team."

"Yea, as strange as we all are, I'm glad too."  The anger and sadness left Raven's features and she went back to her old self.  "I need sleep."  Raven started to stretch so Skye got up.

"Lights out," she said, climbing under the covers.

************************************************************************  

Sleep didn't come easy for her.  It was always like that the first night she slept in a different place.  Time seemed to slow down and all she did was toss and turn.  First she was cold and then she was hot.  She finally threw the covers off in frustration and pulled herself out of bed.  The clock read three o'clock.  She didn't bother turning on the lights as she walked to the kitchen.  Her senses guided her and she knew the lights would hurt her eyes anyway.

The kitchen had a soft blue glow from the read-out clock on the wall.  No need for lights here either.  She pulled a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water, not noticing the door opening with a soft whoosh.

Riddick stepped in quietly so he wouldn't scare Skye.  He knew someone was in here and he knew it was her.  She was drinking from a glass by the counter and Riddick stood and watched her.  The blue light from the clock made her skin appear to glow in the places exposed.  She was in a small tank top and even smaller panties, showing off every curve she had.

He watched her throat move as she swallowed and had to bite his bottom lip as he watched a stream of water slip out and run down her neck.  There was the familiar stirring in his groin as he resisted licking the water from her.  He let out a breath and she turned to him, almost dropping her glass.

"Shit, you scared me," she said.  Her heart was pounding painfully in her chest.  She couldn't figure out why she didn't know he was there but her thoughts were interrupted when she saw he was only wearing a pair of black boxers.  The adrenaline pumping through her veins turned into arousal as her eyes greedily took in the sight of him.  They wandered over every inch of muscle and every exposed part of skin.  That odd tingle she felt before now decided to center itself inside her panties.

"You okay?" he asked.  He moved gracefully towards her and she finally realized what she was wearing.  She glanced down at her body but she wasn't as embarrassed as she thought she would be.  In fact, she was kind of pleased that he got to see this much of her and she didn't even do it on purpose.  When she looked up she noticed he had a smile on his face.

"I'll be okay," she said.  Her voice came out a little shaky.  He moved in close but never touched her.

"Raven told me the pressure was giving you a little grief."  He moved his arm passed her to get a glass of his own and let his arm brush against hers.  The smile returned as he watched her close her eyes and tense up.  He couldn't smell any fear on her and that's why he let himself get that close.

"Yea."  She could feel her body start to shake as his arm brushed hers.  All she wanted to do was touch him again.  Unfortunately he got his water and backed off a little.

"Why are you up?  Are you feeling sick now?" he asked.  It took her a minute to answer because she was watching him drink his water.

"A little but it's mostly that I can't sleep."  He finished and put his glass down.  "I have a hard time sleeping in a new bed the first night.  Tomorrow will be better."  She finally looked away.

"Well, if you need anything, just let me know."  He moved to the sink and put his glass in before turning to her again.  Their eyes met and she got lost in the silver glow.  She let out a slow breath as he turned to walk away.  The view from behind was just as nice.  His broad shoulders and strong back led to a slim waist, nice firm ass, and thick legs that made her mouth water.  He was going to be the death of her.  ****

**** Thanks for all the reviews.  Luv Ya Lots!! 


	7. Chapter 7

Skye's restless night finally ended.  After her encounter with Riddick, sleep was lost.  All she could do was think of him and the way he looked.

"Time to get up sleepy head.  We got a lot of shit to do today."  Raven headed for the bathroom and Skye followed.  When they got around the corner the guys turned and stared.  Skye looked down at her clothes.  She forgot again that she was hardly dressed.

"Sorry.  It must be the cabin pressure," she joked, feeling her cheeks get hot.  

"Don't worry.  It nice to have something new to look at," Eric said.  He moved quickly away from Raven, which was good because she took a swing at him.

"Come on Raven.  You know I love ya," he said, daring to come back to her.  There was laughter through the hall and Eric put his arm around Raven.  She rolled her eyes but smiled anyway.  The door opened and Kyle stepped out.  Alex nearly knocked him down trying to get in next.

"Sorry, man," he said, suppressing a smile.  Skye patiently waited her turn when the hair on the back of her neck stood up.  The only person it could be was Riddick and when his scent hit her, she nearly patted herself on the back.  She felt a little antsy with him standing so close and almost jumped out of her skin when he whispered in her ear.

"We gotta stop meeting like this."  His warm breath tickled her ear, causing goose bumps to spread over her arms.  She looked over her shoulder at him.

"Why?  I'm enjoying myself."  He cocked an eyebrow at her comment, only making him look sexier.  He seemed to be the only guy that didn't like to wear shirts to bed.  Not that Skye was complaining.  She let her gaze travel down his chest to his abs before she met his gaze again.  Smiling her approval she turned back only to see Raven and Eric watching her with curiosity written all over their faces.  All they got in return was a smile.

Skye changed into pants and a tank top that fit her like a second skin.  They allowed her more freedom of movement along with making her look good.  They all got their assignments and went off to work.  

The work was hard and it kept them all busy all day.  Skye helped move equipment to different rooms, took inventory, cleaned and organized all the weapons, and went over their plans for when they got to Bi-Lines.  Everyone ate in shifts because they were too busy to just sit and eat together.  That's one thing Skye noticed.  They tried to eat together to keep up the camaraderie.  Keep the team close and you'll never have to look over you're shoulder.

The day was finally coming to an end.  Skye decided to skip her workout since she figured she just got one.  After her turn in the shower she went to the kitchen to get something to eat before turning in.

"Hey, Raven, Kyle," she said.  Raven and Kyle were finished with their dinner and were cleaning up.  She looked at Skye, noticing how tired she looked.

"Are you feeling any better?" she asked.

"I feel a little dizzy, but my stomach's fine.  I'm also just a little bit tired."  Raven laughed.

"It won't be this bad tomorrow.  You kicked ass today.  Eric didn't think we'd get everything done already," Raven said, as she patted Skye on the shoulder and headed for the door.  Skye was starting to get her dinner ready when she heard Raven whistling to someone.

"Woo hoo, baby.  Look at you."  Skye looked in her direction and saw her motioning to her to come over.  Skye moved fast, not wanting to miss the show.  She leaned out of the door and gasped as she saw Riddick down the hall.  He was still wet from his shower and all he had on was a towel, hanging low on his hips.  Beads of water ran down his arms and back as he looked over his shoulder.  Skye took one look at him, got a dizzy spell, and started to fall over.  She grabbed the side of the door to steady herself hoping it wasn't obvious but she was too late.  Riddick smiled before leaving and Raven put a hand over her mouth.

"Looks like someone has a thing for Riddick," she said, without moving her hand.  Skye shook her head and went back into the kitchen and was glad when Raven didn't follow.

Her dinner was tasteless but she ate it anyway.  She relaxed in her chair and let her eyes close.  The hum of the ship calmed her body and put her mind in a meditative state.  The cool air in the room brushed over Skye's skin and she felt herself begin to drift off.  It was still pretty early but she couldn't keep herself awake.  Slowly, and with more effort than usual, she pulled herself up from the chair.  Somehow she managed to clean up despite her body's protesting, but that's as far as she got.  When she turned to leave, another dizzy spell hit her and she went down.

************************************************************************

Eric had walked through the door just as Skye started to fall and he caught her.  She didn't rouse when he scooped her up in his arms and headed for her room.  He was worried but he wasn't going to jump to conclusions.  When he got to her room he kicked the door.

"Raven, open up."  The panic he was feeling was apparent in his voice.  Raven opened the door and stared in shock.

"Shit, what happened?" she asked, moving to the side to let him by.

"She passed out."  He put her gently on the bed and felt for a pulse.  "Do you know what might be wrong with her?"  Her pulse was strong which was a good sign.

"Oh, uh, gravity pressure."  Raven snapped her finger.  "She hasn't traveled in a long time and now its reeking havoc on her body.  I thought she was doing better, though."  Eric got up and went to the door.

"Apparently not," he said.  "Watch her.  I'll be right back."  Raven knelt beside the bed and moved Skye's hair off of her face.  Her skin was warm to the touch but not feverish.  It appeared that she was just in a deep sleep.  Seconds later Eric ran back in with a med kit in his hands. 

"What are you going to do?"  Raven asked.

"I'm giving her something to help her sleep and something to help her adjust to the gravity pressure."  He prepped the needle and gave her a shot.

"Will she be okay?"  Raven sounded a little worried.  Eric put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Yea, she'll be fine.  She just needs to sleep.  You'll notice a big difference in her tomorrow."  He pulled Raven to the door.  "Come on.  We'll check on her later."  Raven watched Skye as she was led out of the room.

Out in the hall, Kyle stepped into view and stopped when he saw them.

"Hey, Raven, come check this out."  Raven looked at Eric.

"Go ahead.  Let her rest," he said, giving her a little nudge.  She moved down the hall unsure if she should leave.  When she was close enough, Kyle grabbed her arm and dragged her to the living area.  Eric went to his room to talk to Riddick.  Riddick was dressed in just pants and was lounging on his bed.  He didn't move when Eric came in but he knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong," he asked.  Eric took a seat on his bed.

"Skye passed out."  He rubbed a hand over his eyes.  Riddick bolted to a sitting position.

"What?" he said.  Eric jumped when he saw Riddick sitting.  He hadn't even heard him move.

"Raven thinks it's just the change in pressure so I gave her some meds and she's sleeping right now," he said quickly.  Riddick was silent for a moment, running his hands up and down his thighs.  He finally stood up.

"Shit," was all he said.  He started pacing which unnerved Eric.  Riddick never paced.  He knew this _could be bad but it wasn't._

"Look, we'll know for sure tomorrow but for now all we can do is check on her and let her sleep."  Eric stood up so Riddick would stop pacing.

"You're right," he said, sitting back down on his bed.  "We wait."  He couldn't figure out what bothered him more.  The fact that without her this mission would be impossible or was he just concerned for her.  He decided it would be best if he didn't answer himself.

They were silent.  Eric was running through scenarios in his head while Riddick made himself relax.  Patience was something he had to learn in Slam.  Worrying about something you can't control is a waste of energy.  

About an hour later Riddick decided to go check on Skye himself.  Eric seemed to be asleep so he didn't bother telling him.  He walked through the dark halls, listening to the noise coming from the living area.  Raven and Kyle were talking about something that kept them laughing.  The air was cool against Riddick's skin as he made his way to Skye's room.

He hesitated for only a second before he opened the door.  Raven must have helped her out of her clothes because she was back to wearing nothing but her little tank top and panties.  She was lying on her stomach with one of her hands hanging over the side of the bed.

He moved over to the bed, quiet as always, and knelt down next to her.  She looked totally at peace.  Her cheeks had a rosy hue, which was a contrast to her creamy skin.

Riddick watched her breath for a moment before touching her.  Gently, he ran his hand up her arm.

"Skye," he whispered.  Her body twitched at the sound of his voice.  "Skye," he repeated a little louder this time and gave her a little shake.

"Huh?"  Her eyes fluttered open but Riddick could see she was confused.

"Skye, its Riddick.  How are you feeling?"  He kept his hand on her arm as she propped herself up on her elbow.  She looked at him but seemed really out of it.  The medicine was probably keeping her from coming fully awake and Riddick wondered if he should have just let her sleep.  There was enough light in the room that she could see him and of course he could see her but he never saw what came next.

Before he could react, Skye put her hand on his cheek.  The warmth and softness of her hand stilled him.

"Beautiful."  Her voice could barely be heard in the silence of the room.  This confused Riddick.  Was she talking about him or was she seeing something else in her drug induced haze.  Convicted killers weren't beautiful.

In a flash, Skye pressed her lips to his.  He didn't move as she tasted him but that didn't last long.  He cupped her face in his hands and returned the kiss with an intensity that amazed even him.  Soft lips moved against each other as the heat built up between them.  Riddick's tongue met hers with as much passion as she put behind it.  Skye pressed into him trying to get more and he did all in his power to not take it further.  

She tasted like strawberries and Riddick explored her mouth with his tongues causing her to moan deep in her throat.  That sound always did it for him.  He pushed her onto her back lying next to her and she gripped his shoulder tight, still making quiet moaning sounds.  Torturously slow, he ran his hand down her side, over the swell of her hip, and down the length of her thigh.  The softness of her skin made him hard, almost to the point of being painful.  Her response to his touch was to bring her leg up to rest on his hip, giving him better access to her leg.  He rubbed his knee between her legs making her move her hips to press into him.  

Skye ran her tongue over his bottom lip before gently sucking on it.  He had kept quiet up to then but the sensations were too much for him to keep quiet now.  The low growl started deep in his chest but it slowly came to the surface as he allowed his hand to slide up the back of her thigh and slip under her panties.  He knew the growl always got a response out of women and he wasn't disappointed when Skye pushed her body to his and kissed him harder.

"Riddick."  Kyle's voice like ice water being poured over their heated bodies.  'Just when things were getting good.'  Riddick thought as he pulled his lips from hers.  She didn't loosen her grip on him as he turned his head to the door.  Instead, she ran her lips over his neck followed by her tongue.  Riddick stayed as still as he could, letting her explore his body with her lips and it made him feel like he was on fire.  The throb of his erection brought him back to reality.  He couldn't do this.  For all he knew, she didn't even know it was him.  There was no way he was going to take advantage of her being drugged up.  If this was going to happen he wanted it to be done right.

Taking a deep breath, Riddick moved Skye's hands from his body and pushed himself to his feet.

"You need your sleep," he said.  Skye eased herself onto her back and watched him retreat to the door.  There was still the confused look in her eyes and before he made it to the door, they were closed and she was asleep.  Shaking his head, he adjusted his manhood in his boxers hoping no one would notice.  

He did not want to deal with Kyle right now but that would seem kind of suspicious.  Rushing out of Skye's room and into his own.  Yea, they'd know something was up.  Luckily his erection subsided as Kyle met him in the hall.

"I think Raven broke the vid screen," he said.

"So, you're the expert, why don't you fix it?"  Frustration was evident in his voice.

"I can I just thought maybe you could set her straight,"

"Straight?  Now there's a word for ya," he said, joking about her sexual preference.

"That's not what I meant," he replied. 

"I know what you meant.  Did it ever occur to you that she likes messing with you?"  Riddick was regarded with a confused look.  "She might be into girls but she's still a woman and some of them like to play games," Kyle nodded his head in understanding.

"So, what do I do?"

"Find out what her game is and then play it better than her."  Riddick lowered his voice as they neared the living area.  Riddick figured Kyle would either get his way and Raven would leave him alone or she would beat the shit out of him.  But he wasn't going to warn him about that part.

"Okay."  Kyle seemed to like the idea and Riddick could almost see the wheels in his head turning.  They entered the living area and Riddick noticed Eric was there.  Kyle was smirking at Raven and Riddick headed right to her.  This was Kyle's battle but he needed to talk to her and this was the best opportunity to get her alone without people wondering what was up.

He effortlessly scooped her into his arms, in spite of her cries for help, and headed for the cockpit.

"Someone's gonna get it," Eric taunted, causing Alex to turn around from the computer to see what was going on.  

Once in the cockpit, Riddick set Raven down and she began verbally defending herself.

"Look, I don't know what Kyle said but," Riddick put his hands up to silence her.

"I don't care about that.  I wanted to ask you something."  Raven relaxed and sat on the seat behind the pilot's seat.

"Okay."

"If Skye has any problems tonight, will you come get me?"  Even after knowing him for two months, Riddick managed to show her yet another side of himself.

"Yea, sure."  She gave him a smile.

"I just checked her and she's fine."  He moved his chin sharply to his left, cracking his neck.

"I'm going to bed soon so I'll keep an eye on her.  Don't worry." She moved passed him without waiting for a response.  Riddick cracked his neck again relieving a little tension but the tension he was feeling could only be relieved in one way.  He pushed that thought aside and headed to his room.

**** Sorry for the slight delay.  I seem to have caught up to myself.  Please keep reading and reviewing.  It keeps me inspired.  ****


	8. Chapter 8

Skye woke the next morning feeling better than she's ever felt in a very long time.  There was no dizziness, no more feeling like shit.  Energy flowed through her arms and legs as she stretched.  She took deep breaths and rolled over to look and the clock.  Nine?  Why did they let her sleep so long?  Then she remembered the incident the night before.  Groaning, she pulled herself out of bed, feeling like an idiot.  She was supposed to be this tough, trained, important piece to the group, and she passes out from a little cabin sickness.

She dressed, ready to work and saw that Raven was already gone.  The ship was quiet as she headed to the kitchen.  No one was in there either.  She decided to eat breakfast first and then look for the others.  In other words, she would head right to where they were.  Her senses came back to her and she realized that the past couple days were fuzzy to her.  That cabin sickness sure did a number on her.  Dulled her senses and even her memory. 

 Everything was clear to her now.  She could feel where everyone was on the ship and she even felt Raven before she walked through the door.

"Hey Raven," Skye said, not turning around to look at her.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked.

"Let's just say I'm feeling a lot better."  She finally turned to face her, leaning up against the counter.

"That's good to hear.  We were worried last night.  Even Riddick checked on you."  Skye gasped and her hand flew to her mouth.  "What's wrong?"  Raven was worried Skye was still sick.

"Shit, that reminds me.  I had a dream about Riddick."  Raven visibly relaxed as she rushed to Skye.

"Do tell."  The smile on her face made Skye laugh.

"Well, I was in my bed and suddenly he was there."  Skye began playing with the hem of her shirt, trying to keep her gaze elsewhere.

"Go on," Raven encouraged.

"He kneeled by the bed and said something but I couldn't hear him.  Then I did it."  She finally looked Raven in the eyes and noticed they were sparkling with anticipation.

"Did what?" she asked, nearly jumping up and down.

"I kissed him."  She looked away and Raven let out a whistle.

"Was it good?"  Raven seemed to be enjoying Skye's embarrassment.

"You would not believe how good it was.  He didn't kiss back at first but when he did, it was amazing."

"Damn, I wish I could have dreams like that," she said as she hopped up onto the counter.  

"Did you do anything else?"

"No.  But man I'm tellin' ya, it felt so real.  I could smell him, feel him, and even taste him."  Skye took a deep breath, willing the redness to vanish from her cheeks.

"What did he taste like?"  Skye looked at the ceiling, bringing back the dream.

"Vanilla."  The excitement Skye was feeling lessened considerably and Raven noticed.

"What's wrong?"

"It's gonna be hard working with him now."

"Wait, I thought you kind of liked him before?  I mean, I noticed it," Raven said.  She watched Skye with curiosity.

"You're right but this dream has, I don't know, raised my awareness level of him a few notches."  Skye held her hand at her waist and then raised it above her head as she spoke.  Indicating to Raven high much higher that level went.

"Look, he doesn't know about the dream so you can go on as normal," Raven said.

"I know."  Skye began pacing the kitchen.  Raven's eyebrows came together in confusion.

"But?" she asked.  She knew there was a 'but'.  Skye stopped pacing but kept her back to her.

"But…I don't know if I want things to stay normal.  I think I want more but how can I tell if he does?"  Raven slid off the counter and came around Skye so she could face her.

"There's something I learned while being on this ship with these guys."  She took a hold of Skye's arms.  "They like to mess with your head and Riddick's the best at fuckin' with your mind.  What you need to do is not let him fuck with you."  Skye looked a little confused so Raven explained it to her.  "Okay, when he makes a comment to you that would normally embarrass the hell out of you, you turn around and answer him in a way that he's not expecting.  Like yesterday when we were waiting for the bathroom."  Skye started to figure out what Raven was trying to explain to her.

"I think I understand," she said, a smile forming on her lips.  Two months ago, she never would have tried anything with him.  Afraid she would be humiliated but she was a lot stronger now.

Skye walked through the halls of the ship, taking in what Raven had told.  She headed in the direction of the cockpit knowing Riddick was there.  He was there all right but all she could see was his lower half.  She moved down the few stairs as quietly as she could.  He was underneath the main console, one of his legs was bent, foot flat on the floor while the other leg was out-stretched.

"You gonna just stand there and watch?"  His muffled voice floated out to her.

"Uh, what are you working on?" she asked moving closer.

"I'm installing a new tracking and computer system."

"My specialty.  Here, let me take a look at it."  She grabbed his knee for support as she squeezed into the small space.  He started to pull himself out but she stopped him.

"No, stay there.  I might need your help," she said, as she scooted under the console, lying down on her back on Riddick's right.

The panel was off and a mass of wires made up the guts.  To an amateur this would have confused the hell out of someone but not to Skye.  She reached her hands up into the wires and sorted through them to find the one she was looking for.

"Here we go," she said, clearing a black wire from the other ones.

"How do you know that's the right one?"  Riddick asked, quizzically.

"Because it disconnects in the middle, see."  She pulled the two pieces apart and let them hang.

"Okay, now what?"  He wanted to see just how much she knew.  There was a definite change in her since she boarded.  He figured this is what she was really like now that she wasn't sick anymore.

"Where's your main line for the tracking system?"  Skye held her breath as he reached down between them to retrieve it.  His hand moved over her side until it reached the floor.

"Here," he said, handing it to her.  With shaky hands, she took it and tried to focus.  The main line was in the shape of a Y with connectors at each of the three ends.  She connected the two smaller ends to the two ends of the black wire she had separated.  The tail of the main line was left.

"Um, do you have a sensor clip?"  She looked around as much as she could without climbing all over him. 

"Yea, but why do you need one?"  This was new to him.  She spotted one on his other side and reached over him to get it.  When she turned back, she realized how close she was to him.  He looked slightly amused as she stared at him.  The air in the small space was heating up and his scent only added to the strange feeling that came over her.

"Uh," she stammered.  "The sensor clip will transfer power to a power source that's not being used as much.  That way you won't overload any one system.  Without it, let's say you're star jumping and it's connected to the main drive.  It won't transfer to another power source and you risk draining your cells."  

"Interesting," he said.

"We need to find the right plug-in or the clip will be useless."

"So, how do you know which one is the right one?"  He asked.

"I'll show you.  Here," she said, handing him the sensor clip.  She reached up to the side panel on Riddick's left but couldn't reach it.  "Is it okay if I lean on you?" she asked, daring to look at him.

"Sure."  He smiled.  Skye rested her left forearm on his chest and reached up with her right hand to open the panel.  Riddick could have done it for her but he liked putting her in this position.  He liked the pressure her body put on his.

There were three plug-in slots that were empty.

"Okay, check this out," she said, plugging in the tail end of the main line into the first slot.  "See, you can't tell which one to put it in."  She put it in the other two to show him.  "That sensor clip does more than just transfer power.  It tells you where the best hook-up is."  She took the clip from his hand and snapped it onto the wire and plugged it into the first slot again.  Nothing happened.  She proceeded to the second one and got the same results.  On the third one, the guts of the clip began to glow red through the transparent casing.

"It's always the last one," Skye joked, lowering herself onto her back.

"You're good.  I never would have thought of it."  He was impressed by how smart she was.

"Yea, you would've.  You seem pretty smart to me."  She gave him a smile then slapped him on the leg.  "I'll stay here while you check the console setting.  See if it's actually working."

"All right," he said.  Riddick reached up and got a grip on the edge of the console and pulled himself out.  Skye watched the muscles in his arms contracting with the effort.  He was beautifully built and she actually had to hold her mouth shut.

Once he was in the co-pilots chair, she moved to Riddick's previous spot, noticing the metal floor was still warm from his body.  She was now aligned with him and carefully adjusted her legs so she wouldn't kick him.

"Tell me what you see, big guy."  She grimaced as she realized what she just called him but he appeared not to have noticed

"Systems loading," he said.  There was a beep after a few minutes.  "Hey, Skye," he said, patting her leg to get her attention.  "There's a switch behind you and to the left.  Give it a flip.

"What's it for?" she asked.

"I had to cut some of the power earlier.  That switch will turn us back on."  Skye heard Riddick flipping switches as the system ran.

"I'm already turned on."  The noises above her stopped.  "You know, talking about putting things in slots.  Being surrounded by hot metal."  She kept her voice serious which made Riddick laugh.  He went back to work and she allowed herself to smile, knowing he couldn't see her face.

"Everything looks good up here.  How 'bout you?" he asked after he was set.

"Looks good," she said as she maneuvered herself out from under the console.  "Anything else I can help you with?" she asked, standing next to him.  She could only hope.  Being around him made her feel good.

"Yea, I'm switching the 'brain' wires of this computer for faster more efficient ones."  Riddick removed a panel on his right and began sorting through the wires.  Skye leaned over the console's monitor and typed in a program find.  It will detect what wires need to be switched.  Riddick noticed she was a little uncomfortable with the position she was in because he was in the way.  So, as gently as he could to not scare her, he put his hands on her hips and pulled her onto his lap.  Skye jumped inside but managed to keep her cool on the outside.

"Okay, you need to find F132, DL19, and, 459-JC."  Her voice didn't waiver even with the nervousness she was feeling at the moment.  She adjusted herself on his lap to get more comfortable making him voice a small growl for his opinion on that.

"Sorry," she said.

"It's okay," he said making his own adjustments.  "Now, how can you tell which one is which?"  He was looking at all the wires and their outlets trying to find the codes she just read off.

"Um, let's see," she said leaning over to the panel.  She rested back against his chest so she could get closer to the wires.  Careful examination found her the numbers. 

"They're written on the wires but they're so small it's sometimes hard to find.  Here is DL19."  She handed him the wire so he could switch it out and she turned back to the computer to see what the other numbers were.

"I've got the other two," he said.

"Good.  Let's do a run-up on the system to see if we got it right."  She leaned back against him again and reached up over her head to pull down a transparent screen.  It switched on automatically when she pulled it down, showing an internal map of all the systems wiring.  Using the touch screen, she indicated what she wanted the system to check.

Riddick wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her steady while he leaned forward to start the run-up.

"It's running," he said leaning back but not letting go of her waist.  Skye pushed a button and the screen slid back up into the ceiling.  On its way up she saw the reflection of somebody behind her and she casually looked over her shoulder.  It was Raven.  Giving her the thumbs up and smiling.  Skye returned the smile and shook her head.  They sat there quietly while the system ran.  Skye tried to concentrate on the monitor on the console but all she could think about was Riddick's arm around her.  The heat and strength that emanated from him.

A series of beeps indicated the system was done and Riddick leaned over again, still gripping her.

"Good job.  It works," he said, letting his impressiveness show in his voice.

"Thanks."  She couldn't help the smile that formed at his compliment.

"Where'd you learn all that?"  He shifted her on his lap so her legs dangled over one side.  That way he could see her face.  She rested her arm around him comfortably.

"It's just a fascination I have.  The amazing things they can do with technology.  It's like there's nothing that can't be done."  She looked into his eyes and noticed he actually looked interested so she continued.  "I've read some stuff about people a long time ago and I have no idea how they were able to live.  The simple things that we do everyday that they had to live without.  It's amazing."  He chuckled a little sending vibrations through her.

"You seem pretty handy.   I hope you plan on sticking around for awhile."

"Yea, me too," she said looking away from him.  He wondered what she meant by that and he wanted to ask but he figured he would leave it be for now.  ****

**** You're awesome brina, all my readers are.  The next chapter will be up very soon. R & R.


	9. Chapter 9

****This chapter took me a little longer than I had hoped.  I didn't like the way it was 

         going but I think I've got it all worked out.  Oh and sorry about the teasing, there's

         just a few things that have to happen in the story before Skye and Riddick can go 

         any further.  Hope you enjoy.

The days counted down to their meeting time almost a little too fast for Skye's liking.  They were approaching Alpha 9 and Skye watched as the planet came into view.

"Where are we landing?"  Kyle asked.

"Anywhere we want," Eric answered as he piloted.  "They don't have the normal regulations for landing that most planets have.  In fact they don't have much in the way of regulations for anything."

"Sounds dangerous," Raven said.

"It is.  That's why you three are staying here," Riddick answered for Eric.

"We have to wait here?"  Alex's quiet voice penetrated Skye's ears.  She turned to him realizing that she had never really heard him talk before.

"Don't worry Alex, Raven can pilot and if you guys run into trouble, she can get you outta here."  Eric looked back at him as he spoke.  They all fell silent as Eric landed them.

"We all have communicators if you need to get in touch.  Make sure it's an emergency and don't leave the ship.  This prick thinks it's just the three of us," Eric said pointing to himself then Skye and Riddick.  "If he thinks it's not just us, he might back off."  Eric handed Skye and Riddick palm sized comm units that they put in their pockets.  "Let's get this show on the road."

Riddick and Skye followed Eric down the ramp into the darkness.  The sound of the ramps hydraulics sliced through the silence of the planet.  The thump indicated the ramp was closed and they stood looking out in the distance.

"Come on," Eric said, moving ahead of them and into the city.  The streets were dirty and foul as they made their way to Starks.  Riddick had given Skye a rundown on the condition of the planet and she wasn't surprised by the dilapidated buildings, garbage over-running the streets, and the disgusting people that stared at her from the darkness of the alleyways.  

The feeling of being watched was overwhelming.  The eyes Skye could count, because she could see them, were nothing compared to the eyes she couldn't see.  Watching the group.  Hiding in dark corners or behind darkened panes of glass.  Her senses allowed her to actually feel their gazes on her.  She moved between the two men and crowded closer to Riddick.

"We're almost there," he whispered to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"I can _feel_ them," she whispered back, pressing herself into his side.

"I can _see_ them."  He felt her shiver at his words and held her tighter.  Normally, Skye wouldn't be bothered by people watching her.  She got used to the sensation a long time ago but now something inside her head screamed at her to run.  Something wasn't right but she couldn't figure out what it was.

Eric moved closer to Skye.  He didn't have the senses that she or Riddick did but he didn't need them to know they were being watched.  The air was too still and the night seemed a little too quiet.  Skye glanced up at Riddick; he had his goggles on his forehead and was scanning the area with his silver eyes.

"Right now, Starks doesn't sound too bad, does it?" Eric said, just above a whisper.  Riddick looked over at him, snorting his approval, when he noticed Skye was looking at him.  He gave her a reassuring smile before turning away.

Skye breathed a sigh of relief when they reached their destination.  The sleaziest place in the universe and Skye could not wait to get inside.  She preferred to be able to see the people that were watching her.

"Okay, remember.  Act like we belong here," Eric said taking Skye's hand.  She felt Riddick's hands go to her shoulders, keeping close to her.  They needed to protect her while they were there so they needed to act like they were _with her.  Taking a deep breath and bouncing on her feet a little, Skye put devious smile._

"Let's do it," she said, looking over her shoulder at Riddick, noticing that his goggles were still on his forehead.  More intimidating that way, she figured.

They were blasted by loud thumping bass and a curtain of smoke as they entered the building.  Funny, they couldn't hear this on the outside.  Eric led the way through the crowd keeping a good hold on Skye's hand.  Heads turned as they passed, checking out the fresh meat and Riddick snarled at a few who got too close.  He noticed that the few women that were actually in the club were nothing compared to Skye.  She was beautiful from the get go but these other women were nothing but trash.  He pulled her closer, protectively.  In spite of the smoke in the room, he could smell no fear on her.  Maybe a little apprehension but not fear.

Eric pulled them to the back of the club so they could sit comfortably and still watch the entire room.

"I've got to make contact with this guy so you two sit tight, I'll be right back."  Eric could handle himself and he felt better leaving Skye in Riddick's care than his own.  

Riddick took a seat and pulled Skye onto his lap before she could take one of her own.  She looked a little surprised but pleased as she made herself comfortable.  She let her forehead rest against the side of his head and closed her eyes.  The bass from the music wasn't as loud as it was up front but she could still feel it thumping on her insides.  Riddick watched the people, absently running his hand over her thigh, from knee to hip and back down again.  Skye allowed the friction his warm hands were creating, pull her down to safety.

Riddick felt Skye's thigh tense up but not from his touch.  He turned his head so he could talk in her ear.

"What's wrong?"  He almost had to shout.

"Someone's watching us," she said.

"I know I can see him."  Skye pulled away so she could look into his eyes.  His look was calm when he turned his attention on her.  "Just pretend you're enjoying my company."  There was a sparkle in his shined eyes and Skye couldn't tell if it was from the lighting or something else.  She nodded her understanding and dove in.

Riddick was nearly knocked off his seat when he felt Skye's lips on his neck.  A sensation he knew all too well.  This was the second time she caught him by surprise.  Her soft lips kissed slowly down his neck to his collarbone and then she shifted her position.  His skin was on fire again and he gripped her thigh when she moved on his lap.  She turned her head so she could kiss her way up the center of his neck to his chin and he closed his eyes, getting lost in the feeling.  Butterflies were now swarming through her body as she tasted his skin.  It seemed so familiar but how could that be?

Riddick opened his eyes when he no longer felt her lips against his skin, and was amazed by how close they were.  Nose to nose.  He could feel her breath on his lips as it became heavier.  She gently placed a hand on his cheek and let her lips brush over his ever so lightly before moving to his jaw.  He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding finally feeling how constrictive his pants were becoming.

Skye could not believe what she was doing.  This is what she's wanted to do since she saw him.  His skin tasted sweet and she could feel he needed a shave but the roughness on her lips sent tingles through her body.  Her nipples hardened in response and she pressed into him, her light kisses becoming more like nipping and licking.  She felt a low growl against her lips as she sucked on his neck, and a slow wet heat began to spread between her legs.  

Riddick was straining so hard to keep the animal caged that he began to shake.  He wanted to touch her so bad but he didn't want to freak her out.  His pants tightened even more when Skye slid her hand down his chest and rested on his thigh.  She was so close to touching his acing member that he almost grabbed her hand and just put it on it but instead, he let his hand travel up her thigh until it reached her hip.  As slow as he could handle, he dipped his hand between her thighs and let his thumb brush against her.  She inhaled sharply and pulled back.  He was expecting anger but what he saw in her eyes was something he's never seen before in a woman.  Not the lustful gazes he was used to seeing, but something more.  Total trust, a need that couldn't be put into words, a want that was burning from her eyes.

They stared deep into each other's eyes, not moving at all, the pull from their gazes being too powerful.  All of the music and sounds in the background faded away into silence.  There was nobody there but them.  The activity continued around them but they were oblivious to it.  Then, reality came slamming back into them.  If the energy between them hadn't broke when it did, Riddick wouldn't have spotted Eric coming back to them.  That wasn't the problem, though.  The stranger was also heading in their direction.

"Skye, we have company," he said loudly.  Judging by the direction he was looking, Skye knew who the company was.  She flipped her long hair over her shoulder to get a better look only to see that Eric was almost to her.  Thinking fast, she jumped to her feet and put her arms around a very surprised Eric.

"Just go along with me," she said through a smile, without moving her lips.  He nodded his understanding and she kissed him hard.  She didn't feel nervous with him because he was just a friend.  There was something more with Riddick and that made it hard to just kiss him on the lips and she couldn't figure out why.  That should make it easier but it didn't.

Riddick watched the scene curiously until she kissed Eric.  A sharp pang of jealousy stabbed through his gut but he pushed it aside when he realized what she was doing.  Only what she had to.

The stranger that was approaching stopped dead in his tracks.  That kiss and what she was doing to Riddick earlier clearly said, 'Back Off!'  Skye reached her hand out behind her and wiggled her fingers, telling him to take her hand, so he did and she pulled him up to her.  He put his hands on her hips and waited patiently.  Eric finally broke off the kiss so he could speak.

"I've made contact," he said but stopped, shaking his head.  He pulled Skye to the other side of the room where it was even quieter, Riddick right behind her.  Once away from the crowd, he pulled Skye onto his lap as he sat down, just as Riddick had done earlier.  Riddick sat next to him and suddenly felt Skye's hand on his shoulder.  She had her arm around Eric but she went past that so she could touch him.

"Okay, he have to hang around until sometime tomorrow morning, or so he says," Eric said.

"Wait, he have to wait in here?"  Skye swept her free hand over the room.

"No, I got us a room upstairs.  He said he'd buzz us when _he was ready."_

"Great," Riddick said, standing up.  "Let's get the hell outta here."  He turned to leave and Skye jumped up.

"Agreed."  She leapt onto his back, not even breaking his stride.  Wrapping her arms tightly around him, she brought her lips very close to his ear.  "Hope you don't mind that I'm hitching a ride."  Her lips gently brushed his ear as her warm breath tickled his senses.

"Nope," was all he could get out.  Eric moved to the front to lead the way, which made Riddick a little nervous.  Skye's back was exposed to whoever wanted to cop a feel, so he made for the door, fast.

"Home sweet home," Eric said, tossing the key on the counter by the door.

"One bed, huh?"  Skye moved through the room, checking things out.

"Do you think a place like this would have a room with two beds in it?"  She just shrugged her shoulders at his question.  "I figured we were all adult enough to share."  He took a side of the bed and made himself comfortable.  "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get some sleep." 

Skye took the other side, adjusting the pillow before lying back.  She wouldn't sleep but there wasn't much else to do.  Riddick had taken up residency in a chair at the small table.

"You're not going to leave me alone in this bed with him, are you?"  She pointed towards Eric but decided to give him a little poke.  He groaned at her assault and rolled over.  Riddick thought about it for a moment.  They could all use some down time, whether they slept or not, so he figured he'd join her.

Skye watched him as he moved to the bed, mesmerized by his body.  His white shirt clung nicely to his muscles as he moved and before she knew it, he was standing next to her.

"Are you gonna move over or do you want me to lay on you?"  His question brought a smile to her face.  Her body was screaming for contact but she made room for him anyway.  They lay there in silence like a couple of nervous kids on their first date.  His deep voice broke the silence of the room.

"Tell me something," he started.  Skye rolled onto her side so she could face him.  "If you can tell where people are, then why didn't you know I was right around the corner, back on the ship your first day there."  She smiled, figuring he would ask her that sooner or later.

"I did know you were there," her voice was low and husky.  Riddick shot her a surprised look that quickly changed to a satisfied smile.

"Interesting," he purred.  Skye looked over her shoulder to see Eric was completely out.

"I guess he was tired," she said trying to change the subject.  Riddick lifted his head to see for himself.

"I guess.  Aren't you?"  He propped himself onto his elbow, resting his head in his hand, watching her in the dim light.

"I feel too wired."  She looked back at him, coming face to face with the sexiest man she's ever seen.

"Why?"  He was curious as to why she was wired.  Was it from the atmosphere of the club or the little one they created between them?

"Well," she said, rolling onto her back.  "You want the truth?"

"Yea, I would never lie to you," he said, keeping his voice down so he wouldn't wake up Eric.

"Oh man."  She stretched her body, trying to delay her answer while unconsciously giving Riddick a nice show.  His gaze wandered over her, caressing her body with his eyes, resisting the urge to caress her with his hands.  "I'm wired because of what I did down there.  I've never done that before and…" she trailed off.

"And what?" he encouraged.

"It was a rush."

"Yea, you really did a number on Eric," Riddick said, testing her, wanting to draw out her answers without looking too obvious.  Her eyebrows went up as she looked at him.

"I meant what I did with you."  He felt a sort of relief, knowing that he wasn't the only one enjoying what she did.

"Really," he said teasingly, causing a blush to form on her cheeks.

"It felt good but you know what's weird?"  Riddick raised a questioning eyebrow.  "I had the strongest feeling of déjà vu."  A sense of guilt washed over Riddick as he rolled onto his back, avoiding her eyes.  "What?"  She noticed a change in him and moved closer.  "Tell me."  She lightly slapped his chest.

"Remember that dream you had?" Riddick said, still not looking at her.  Skye nearly shrieked.

"Did Raven tell you about my dream?"  Skye sat up in bed, putting her face in her hands, feeling so embarrassed.  "Oh, if she did, she's not gonna like me anymore after I get through with her."

"Whoa, she didn't tell me anything," Riddick sat up, making her turn to him. "because it wasn't a dream."  There, it was out.

Skye watched the glimmer in his eyes as she realized what he was saying to her.  It was real just as it had felt.  She flopped back onto the bed keeping her hands over her face.

"Oh my God."  Her voice was muffled from her hands.  "I'm so sorry."  Riddick leaned back down to her and tried to pry her hands off her face.

"Don't be sorry."  Skye took a peak at him from under the hand he didn't move.

"It's just I've never been in this kind of environment so I don't know how I'll react.  I've never shared a room with anyone or been this close to people before."  Riddick ran his hand over her arm, grabbing her wrist and moved her hand away from her face.  "I'll probably be all over you by morning because I don't know how I sleep with someone else in bed with me."  She was rambling now and Riddick had to stifle a laugh.

"I'll make a deal with you."

"What kind of deal?" she asked curiously 

"Whether you stay in one place all night or you're all over me by morning, I won't mind and you don't have to be embarrassed.  Deal?"  She watched him for a minute before answering, wishing she could know what he was thinking.  The shine in his eyes prevented her from seeing what was inside.  Eyes are the windows to the soul and he had his very well guarded.

"Deal," she finally said.  It didn't relax her because she wasn't nervous.  More like excited.

"Why don't you guys just do it and get it over with," Eric said even though he was supposed to be asleep.  Skye's mouth dropped open and Riddick finally let out a laugh.

"We thought you were asleep," Skye said, trying to hold back her own laughter.

"Yea, well my feigned sleep can sometimes be deceiving to those who don't know me."  Riddick leaned over Skye and punched Eric in the shoulder.  "Ow!" he screamed out, grabbing his shoulder.  "Geez Skye, I didn't know you could hit that hard."

"It wasn't me, it was Riddick," she said; now laughing.

"Oh well then, that's okay."  He became quiet and still.

"Wait, why is it okay that it was him that hit you?"  She pulled on his arm to roll him over.

"Do you think I would argue with him on why he hit me?  Just look at him.  I wouldn't stand a chance."  Skye looked to Riddick, and noticed he was still leaning over her.  She draped an arm around his shoulder and smiled.

"You're right, you wouldn't stand a chance," she said, pulling Riddick down to her, wrapping her other arm around him in a hug.

"Ha, ha.  You missy, on the other hand, I can take."  Eric reached for her and caught her in the side and tickled her with all he had.  Skye screamed in laughter and held Riddick tighter.  He enjoyed the way she writhed against his body so he let Eric continue his attack.  Tears were streaming down her face and she was laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.  Skye unwrapped herself from Riddick and tried to push Eric away but her laughter had left her weak.

"Stop, stop.  I can't breath," she managed to gasp out in between laughing.   Riddick rolled onto his back taking Skye with him.  Eric didn't make a move to go after her but he was still laughing.

"You're lucky he's protecting you," Eric said pointing to Riddick.  Skye rested her cheek on Riddick's chest and tucked her hands under his shoulders.

"Yup, so I think I'll be keeping him close."  She moved her body up the length of his so she could rest on his shoulder.  He wrapped his arms around her and looked over at Eric and raised his eyebrows at him.  Eric got off the bed and moved closer to the door.

"I could leave if you want."  He paused to look at them.  Skye was seriously considering it and she knew Riddick was because he tilted his head in thought, and was about to speak but Skye beat him to it.

"Wait," she said pushing herself up onto her hands.  Her lower half pressed into Riddick's but he didn't move.  "There's someone outside."  Eric hesitated for only a second before looking through the peephole.  Riddick started to roll her off him but she grabbed him when she got to her side and shook her head no. He stayed still, holding her.  Eric pulled open the door and the man on the other side froze in mid knock.

Skye and Riddick looked towards the door and she recognized the man from the vid screen from a week ago.  The man was saying something but she couldn't hear him so she rested her head on the pillow.  Riddick did the same and they watched each other as the men talked.  Skye ran her fingers gently over his cheek and scooted herself closer to him.  She got up a little nerve and let her lips lightly run over his.  They never really kissed, just allowed their lips to run over each other's.  Building up a sensation that would eventually lead to feelings neither had ever experienced.

"I can tell Eric to get lost if you want," Riddick spoke into her mouth.  She smiled against his lips.

"Okay," she said breathlessly, pulling him into a full-blown kiss.  Their kiss was frantic because they knew Eric would interrupt them at any second.  Hands roamed over their bodies getting a feel for anything they could in the little time they had.  Skye let her hand travel down his chest to rest on the waist of his pant, letting her fingertips slide underneath to feel heated skin and soft hair.  

Riddick couldn't believe how fast this was moving but he went along anyway.  He ran his hand up her side and right under her shirt, cupping her breast over her bra.  The instant his hand touched her she broke off the kiss.  At first he thought he went too far but she was only looking over his shoulder at Eric.  He leaned in and kissed her neck, tongue running down the length.  She tasted as sweet as her lips did and not only was his body responding to her but hers was responding to his.  He could smell her arousal and he could feel rather than hear the moan that escaped her throat.  Her grip on his pants tightened when he found a sensitive spot on her neck.

"Shit," she said through gritted teeth.  He knew he hit the mark but then he heard the door shut and Skye pulled away from him.

"We have to meet him downstairs in ten minutes," Eric said taking a seat at the table.  He smiled when he noticed Skye's flushed condition.  She had sat up and was straightening her hair and clothes before climbing over Riddick and heading to the bathroom.  Riddick was wearing his usual unexpressive look, on his face.

"Sorry to have interrupted you two but the sooner we get off this planet, the better," Eric said.  Riddick just glanced at him, not responding.

Skye looked at her reflection in the mirror and almost didn't recognize it.  She looked different somehow but she couldn't tell what it was.  Riddick was having a major effect on her mentally and physically.  Her body was feeling things she's never felt before and she felt off in the head.  Like his presence alone was distracting her.  She couldn't feel that man, their contact, until he was right at the door.  This would not be good if she couldn't do her job effectively.  She couldn't let this go any further, at least until they were through with this mission.

Ten minutes later they met their contact down in the club.  The music was off and only a few people were left behind, some of them too drunk to get off the floor.  The man was at a corner table and the three approached him walking side by side.

"Okay, let's make this quick.  Give us what you got," Eric said, taking a seat.  Riddick and Skye followed suit and sat down.

"You have my money?" he asked looking cautiously at Riddick.  Eric tossed him a credit chip.

"There, you have your money, now hand over the info."  He slipped an envelope to Eric and he opened it to read what it was.

"They don't have a name for it yet but you shouldn't have trouble finding it.  It's highly guarded."

"We'll be fine," Eric said glancing over at Skye.

"The virus is very dangerous.  If you don't destroy it properly it'll spread faster than a hookers legs." No one laughed at his attempt at a joke.  "You need to heat it well over 200 degrees to destroy it.  I also brought you the vials for you to store the samples."  Riddick and Skye looked at Eric at the same time.

"What samples?" Skye asked.

"I'll tell you later," Eric replied.  Skye had a bad feeling about this.  It felt like cold hands were wrapping around her neck.  Eric wasn't telling them something important and this man was definitely not telling them the whole story.  Skye didn't know anything about this virus but what he was telling them didn't ring true.  She let her instincts take over.  Reaching across the table, she grabbed the guy by the front of the shirt and pulled him up from his chair.  Eric jumped back, surprised by Skye's reaction.

"What aren't you telling us?" she screamed in his face.  The man looked panicked and he visibly started to shake.  Apparently, Riddick wasn't the one he should have been afraid of.  He looked at him desperately.  Riddick leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and gave him a smirk.  He was feeling the same thing Skye was.  Something wasn't right but she seemed okay with handling the situation.

Skye gave him a good shake before yelling at him again.

"Talk!"  He put his hands up in defeat.

"Okay, okay."  She let him go after she pushed him back into his chair.  "Heating the virus will only make it spread.  It could even become airborne.  You'll need to freeze it to kill it."  Eric took a deep breath and grabbed the guy, pulling the credit chip out of his pocket.

"Don't lie to us and I might give this back to you," he said, menacingly.

"What about if it melts?"  Skye asked.

"The virus will already be dead so it won't matter."  He looked at Eric.  "Anything else?"  There sure were a lot of questions Riddick had but they were mostly for Eric.  The man gathered his things and looked at Eric again.  He tossed him the chip.

"Get the hell outta here," he said pointing to the exit.  The guy made a mad dash for the door.  Eric got up and headed in the same direction.  Skye and Riddick followed, waiting until they were outside before they started bombarding him with questions.

"Okay, tell us what's goin' on.  Why was he talking about samples?"  Riddick spoke first.  Eric walked a few feet before responding.

"If we want to get paid we have to bring back a sample to prove we got the job done."  They walked in silence, the darkness still surrounding them.  Skye didn't like the idea of transporting that virus.  Anything could happen.

"Why didn't you tell us?"  Riddick asked.

"It was kind of a last minute thing and if we do it right there shouldn't be any problems."  Skye looked nervously at Riddick and he returned the same look.

"Just keep us informed of everything, regardless if it's last minute," Riddick said, still watching Skye.

"I will.  It was a bad call.  Sorry."  No one spoke the last bit to the ship.  It was waiting for them just as they hoped.  Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary on the outside.  Inside was different.

When they got inside Eric punched the button to close the ramp and then put in the code to lock it.  Skye walked to the living area but stopped when she saw Kyle lying on the couch with an ice pack on his face.

"What the hell happened?"  She rushed over to his side.  Riddick came in behind her to see what was going on.  She pulled the ice pack off his face and saw what was wrong.

"Nice shiner," Riddick said, laughing loudly.  It must have been an inside joke because she didn't get what was so funny.

"How did this happen?" she asked.

"Raven did it."

"Why would she hit you?"

"I was teasing her and it went a little too far so she ended it.  I'm fine though.  Don't worry."  He got up and headed to his room.  Skye looked at the smile on Riddick's face.

"I'm still not understanding why it's so funny."  She put her hands on her hips.

"You don't want to know," he said leaving the room.  

"You're right, I probably don't," she said, watching him leave, making sure to check out his ass. 

 "Stop lookin' at my ass," he said, once he was out of view.  Skye turned away fast.  'How the hell did he know?' she thought.

**** I again want to thank all my readers: ariel, Patlyn23, Starlight, brina, Netanya Grimberg, Black-Angel, and everyone else out there who's reading.  You all keep me inspired.  Thanks =) R&R.    


	10. Chapter 10

Two more days until they reached the planet Maylon.  Bi-Lines home, temporarily.  Riddick and Eric went over their inventory, setting up weapons, equipment, and for the millionth time, went over the only information they had on Bi-Lines.  Alex went through the surveillance tapes they had set up outside Bi-Lines property, looking for anything different or any additions to the building.

"It's doesn't look like much has changed," he said, still reviewing the tapes.

"Good," Eric said, continuing with his work.  Kyle, Raven, and Skye kept themselves busy with repairs, plotting their course back to their employer with Marishpere, and just hanging out.  

Riddick and Skye avoided each other but it wasn't intentional, they were just busy.  But while moving from room to room or passing in the hall she would steal glances at him and each time, he would meet her eyes and smile.  

Something very powerful was happening between them but they kept their distance.  He seemed to realize the effect he had on her so he kept out of her way.  Not only that but he didn't need any distractions himself.  Soon they would be stepping into a dangerous situation and he needed his head clear, and so did Eric and Skye.

Raven bounced into her room and stopped when she saw Skye lying on the bed.

"Were you asleep?" she asked, tip-toeing to her bed.  Skye opened her eyes and smiled.

"No, just trying to relax, keep my head clear."  She closed her eyes again and took a deep breath.

"So, _is_ your head clear?"  Her tone of voice indicated that she figured there would be at least one thing on her mind.  Skye caught on and sat up letting out a sigh.

"Kind of," she said.

"I see," she said, getting some boxing tape out of her drawer.  Skye desperately wanted to change the subject.

"What do you need that for?" she asked, pointing to the tape.  Raven looked down at her hands and an evil smile spread over her lips. 

"Eric is going to show me some of his moves."  Skye laughed.  He had already gotten a lesson the other day from her but it looked like he was up for more.

"Well, don't hurt him too much.  We need everyone's help to pull off this mission and we don't need anyone incapacitated."  It was Raven's turn to laugh.

"Don't worry; we just need to blow off a little steam."  Raven said, walking out the door.  Skye got up to pace the small room, shaking out the tension in her arms.  She wasn't really nervous about the whole deal; she just hoped her 'sense' didn't fail her.

************************************************************************ 

Today was the day and Skye was alone in her room getting dressed.  Her clothes consisted of black fatigues, black long-sleeved turtleneck, black vest, and black boots.  It was going to be cold but they couldn't take jackets because they needed their freedom of movement.  She braided her hair in a single braid, hanging all the way down her back, then picked up her vest.  It carried ammo; video feed clips for the security cameras, a virus disk, and the empty vials for the virus samples.  She strapped a modified 9- millimeter to her right thigh, tucked a Bernard-Oxford; carrying magnetic pulse charges, into the back of her pants, and tucked a shiv in her boot.  

Skye came out of her room and went to meet the others in the living area.  Eric was sitting in a chair looking as relaxed as can be, dressed identical to her.  They didn't speak and Skye didn't sit.  No doubt they were mentally working themselves up.

"We ready?" came the deep voice from behind her.  It was a sensual sound to her ears and so was the man standing behind her.  His shirt was tight right down to his wrists, detailing every muscle he had.  She stared, as if in a trance, as his muscles moved underneath the tight material while he put on his vest. 'Damn, he looks good.'  Skye thought.

"Yea, we're ready," Eric said.  He stood and took the high powered shotgun, with an added silencer, from Riddick.

"Here."  Riddick handed her an earpiece with an extended mouthpiece so they could communicate hands free.  Eric punched in the code for the ramp and they waited for it to open all the way.

"You guys remember what to do?" he asked, turning back to the others.  Skye followed Riddick down the ramp half listening to what Eric was saying.

"Yea, everything's set," Kyle answered.  Skye had stepped away from the ship to take a look at her surroundings.  Everything was dead and if it wasn't dead, it was frozen.  The ground sloped directly in front of them leading to the ridge where Riddick and Kyle had set up one of the cameras.  They would be heading left into the dense area of trees and circling around to the back.  It was a little longer trek but it was a lot safer.

Eric took the lead with Skye behind him and Riddick taking up the rear.  Riddick took a moment to enjoy the view of what was in front of him before going back to scanning the area.  They moved between the trees like they were ghosts.  Not a sound came from any of them.  With Skye as their 'sense' they were able to move quickly, covering more ground than they would have if they had to sneak.

They stopped behind some trees near the back entrance and Riddick whispered to Skye.

"So, they don't have any security cameras outside?"  It was cold enough to see his breath.  She shook her head no to his question.

"Just guard rotation," she whispered back.

"How stupid can you get," Riddick said, sounding unsure of the whole set up.  Eric moved from the tree he was hiding behind and headed for the back entrance.  Once he got there he motioned for the others to follow.  He removed the paneling of the lock and started hooking up the de-coder.  Skye stood on one side of the door with Riddick on the other.  So far, everything was going smoothly and for a second, it didn't even seem like it was even real.  She never did like that feeling.

"We're in," Eric said.  He put away his equipment and opened the door.  Skye went in first moving against one of the walls.  The corridor was long and the lights were very dim.  She looked back to see where the guys were and she saw the shine from Riddick's eyes, having removed his goggles.  Normally, this would have scared the shit out of her, seeing a pair of shining eyes, looking at her from the dark, but not this time.  She felt safe.  The time that she wouldn't feel safe is when she looked back to find them gone.

Easing down the hall, Skye concentrated on the building.  Slowly, a picture of the structure formed in her mind, followed by the exact lay-out, how many rooms there were and location, codes for some of the locked doors, the exact amount of people in the building, and finally, the location of the virus.

She confidently moved away from the wall and strolled to the first intersection.  There was an open empty room around the corner and she needed to tell the guys what she knew and she would feel better if they were out of the hall.  

She flattened her stomach against the wall and peeked around the corner, her gaze drawn to the ceiling.  A smile formed on her lips but was quickly replaced with a frown.  Right around the corner and about eight feet off the ground was a security camera.  There was no way she could reach it so she turned to Riddick and with a nod of her head, he moved from the wall and came to her.  She pulled him close so she could whisper in his ear.

"You're the tallest so I need you to stick this right on the back of the camera," she said as she reached in her pocket.  From it, she removed a small device and pulled up an antenna before handing it to him.  He took it and looked around the corner.  Reaching up, he stuck it to the back of the camera and then ducked back into the hallway.  Skye pressed a button on her earpiece.

"Alex, we're sending you the first signal.  Tell us when you're ready."  She kept eye contact with Riddick as she spoke to Alex.  He was still standing in front of her, very closely.

"Copy that," Alex said.  They didn't have long to wait.  "You're set," his voice crackled in her ear.  Skye grabbed Riddick's vest and pulled him around the corner and to the empty room.

"Okay, there are 17, no wait, I can't count us," she said, closing her eyes.  "There are 14 people in this building.  No one on this level, five on the one below us and below that, there are nine.  I don't know which ones are guards and which are civilians.  I guess we'll find out soon enough."  Eric looked to Riddick and then back to Skye.

"So how do we get down there?" he asked.

"The stairs seem to be our best option."  She moved to the door.  "Let's get this over with."  They followed her through the hallways and to the stairs.  There were a few cameras they had to take care of on the way but that was no problem.  They made quick work of the five people on level B1 considering the people were spread out and not standing in a group.  The shocks they received from their tasers would knock them out for at least three hours.

Skye stopped on the landing of level B2.  The virus was contained here.  She peeked out into the hallway to confirm what she saw in her head.

"Shit, there are two guards and there's no way we can get out and hide before they spot us."  She began pacing.

"I'll take care of them," Riddick said, moving to the door.  Skye put her hand up and moved to block him.

"No.  As soon as they see you, they'll call for back up and they won't wait to find out who you are or what you're doing here."  Riddick could see an idea forming in her head and he had a feeling he wasn't going to like it.  "I'll go."  He was right, he didn't like it.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked.  Skye undid her vest and handed it to him.

"It's all we can do right now," she said.  He knew she was right but it still bothered him that she was going out there.  These guys were going to try to mess with her and he hoped she could handle it.  Skye un-strapped her 9-millimeter and tucked it in her pants in place of the Bernard-Oxford, which was too bulky to conceal without wearing her vest, and handed it to Riddick.

"Wish me luck."

"Good luck," Eric said.  Riddick just stood there.  All he wanted to do was reach out and touch her, hold her, anything to keep her there with him.  Instead, he smiled.

"You won't need luck," he finally said.  Skye caught the smile on his face before it disappeared.  At first she thought he wasn't going to say anything at all but when he did she couldn't help herself.  She grabbed his arm and gave it a squeeze.  It was amazing how she could feel his energy, his life, humming just below her hand.  She reluctantly released him and, waiting until they moved away from the door, slipped out.  Eric and Riddick watched her through the slit in the doorway in case she got into trouble.

She approached the guards with confidence in her step, putting out an air of sexuality.  One of the guards spotted her and called out, not bothering to get up.

"What are you doing here?  Do you have clearance?"  She moved closer, not giving him a response.  He got the attention of the other guard and he turned in time to see her gracefully sit on the desk and lean over.

"No, I don't have clearance, so it looks like I won't be getting passed you, but…" she gave her lips a slow sensuous lick, "maybe I don't want to get passed you."  Her voice was husky, revealing her faked desire.

Riddick watched the little scene with interest.  He couldn't hear what she was saying but he could tell whatever it was, it was working.

Skye swung her legs over to the other side of the desk and purposefully let her calves rub against the outside of the guard's legs.

"Been a long day, hasn't it?"  The guard gave her a slight nod and she knew she had him.  She took a deep breath and let out a sigh as she slid into his lap.  He jumped slightly but other than that, he didn't move.  Skye looked over his shoulder to the other guard and moved her head, signaling him to come closer, which he complied a little too quickly.  She leaned into the guard she was on and reached into one of the pockets on her pants for her taser.  Her movements didn't look out of the ordinary so the other guard continued to approach.  When he got close enough, she gave him a smile and zapped him.  He went down without making a sound, other than his body hitting the floor.

She felt the guard she was with turn but before he could see his partner on the ground, she zapped him too.  Riddick and Eric emerged from the stairwell as Skye moved back around the desk.

"Piece of cake."  She was all smiles at her accomplishment.  Riddick surveyed the area, trying to conceal his own smile.  "Let's lock these guys up," she said, not seeing the approving look Riddick had just been wearing.  Eric grabbed one guy and Riddick grabbed the other and they dragged them to the empty room Skye opened for them.  Securely locked away, Skye put her vest back on and strapped the Bernard-Oxford to her thigh, leaving the 9-milimeter tucked in her pants.

"Okay, that leaves seven.  Two of them are in two different rooms and the other five are closer to the virus.  I'm guessing they're guards or lab techs."  She finished securing her gear and looked at both of them.  "We take out whatever guards there are first.  Most lab techs aren't trained to deal with people like us."  Eric chuckled at her comment.  "Come to think of it, these guards aren't really putting up much of a fight either."  She shrugged her shoulders in thought.

"I don't think I would've put up a fight if you were sitting on my lap like you were with that guy," Riddick said nonchalantly.  Skye bit her lip to keep from smiling.  She moved close to him so Eric wouldn't hear what she was about to say.

"I might just have to test you on that."  He grabbed her arm to stop her from moving away and pulled her close.

"You already have and did I fight?"  His voice was lower than usual, vibrating right down to the center of her.

"No, but I wasn't straddling your lap either. That'll be the test."  She tilted her head to the side.  "Think you can handle it?" she lowered her voice too, causing parts of Riddick's body to respond.

"I guess we'll have to find out sometime," he said.  Skye's gaze traveled from his eyes to his lips and licked her own, thinking about how he tasted.  Eric passed by them and slapped Riddick on the back.  Skye's gaze lingered for a moment before she turned away.  She moved ahead of Eric and walked confidently through the halls.  The guys relaxed a little as they followed Skye.  She wasn't ducking for cover so there wasn't anything to worry about.

After re-routing about a dozen cameras and traveling through a maze of hallways, Skye finally stopped outside of one of the doors.  She put her hands on the door and closed her eyes.

"We're in luck boys," she said, removing her hands from the door.

"What do you mean?" Riddick asked, stepping up next to her.

"The virus seems to be in a containment unit because they working on something else."  Riddick looked confused but not as confused as Eric looked.  "The unit and everything about it including temperature control is in this room," she explained.  Riddick nodded his understanding.  "There's nobody in there.  Most likely, if there are any guards left they're in the lab with the techs."

"What about samples?" Eric asked.  Skye frowned slightly.

"You'll get your samples."  A knot began forming in Skye's stomach.  That same voice was back, screaming inside her head to run, a cold feeling washing through her body.  She rubbed her arms trying to warm up as Riddick helped Eric by-pass the lock.  Glancing in her direction, Riddick noticed Skye was staring off into space.  That probably wasn't a good idea; she might not feel someone approaching.  He moved from Eric and put a hand on Skye's shoulder, snapping her out of her trance.  

"You okay?" he asked.  Her eyes came back into focus as she met his.

"Yea, just have a bad feeling."  A click caught their attention and they both turned to see Eric standing there with the door open.

"Come on."  He motioned for them to follow.  They moved into the small room and spread out.  There was only one window in the room.  Thick sound and bullet proof Plexiglas.  On the other side of it lay the virus, in little vials, each in their own storage container.  Skye took a seat at the computer and pushed the button on her earpiece.

"How's everything looking Alex?" she asked.

"So far so good," he replied.

"Good.  You're gonna need to walk me through the procedures to destroy this thing."

"Got it."  Alex had to re-route the computers temperature alarms before walking Skye through the steps.  That only took him a few minutes.

Riddick and Eric stood by and patiently watched Skye freeze out four of the five containers.  Ice crystals formed on the inside of the four containment units until they each cracked one after another.  Skye glanced over her shoulder.

"Now all we need to do is get the other one.  Only problem, we have to go through the lab to get it."

"And the problem is?" Eric asked.

"There are five people in there that we have to deal with."

"Than we deal with them," Riddick said, turning towards the door.  "Let's go."  Skye moved to catch up with him, pushing past him to be in the lead.  Her hand lingered on his hip as she passed.  She needed the contact.  He watched as she moved ahead, her hips swaying slightly as she moved silently into the hall.  Her braided hair swinging in time with her movements, brushing across her back just above her ass. 'Get a grip boy,' Riddick said to himself.  He strode to the door and out into the hall, his steps and movements were silent and graceful.  Skye had her hands on the door down the hall and she waited until the others joined her.

"The room is set up in two sections.  First area, two people.  We can take 'em both out without the others knowing."  She paused and leaned her forehead on the door.  "The other door leads into the lab.  They're not working on anything dangerous so we won't need to suit up."  Her knowledge of the building gave Eric the creeps.  It was like she was a former employee or something.

Skye drew her Bernard-Oxford out of her thigh holster and the guys got their weapons ready.

"Eric, you take the right and cover us."  She turned to Riddick.  "We head left and we have to move fast."  Riddick wished he could see what she was seeing.  She was able to familiarize herself with the room before entering.  He had to rely on his instincts and quick mental reflexes.  Skye punched in the code to get in the door and Eric gave her a skeptical look.  'She didn't know the code to get in the building but she knew this one?' he wondered.  

Eric set himself up near the door and as it slide open he moved in quickly, scanning the area with his gun.  Riddick and Skye moved in right after, not hesitating.  Skye moved to the guard on the left and Riddick took the one on the right, as if they had planned it.

The guard Skye targeted was fast.  Drawing his gun, he dove for her.  She twisted away, pulling out her taser with her free hand while keeping him in her gun sights.  He swung a fist at her, catching her on the cheek.  The impact rattled through her head causing her to drop the taser.  She started to tumble so she turned and landed on her back.  Her breath was knocked out of her but she still had a good grip on her gun.  With catlike speed, she pointed the gun square at his chest and fired.

Riddick stunned the guard he went after and turned in time to see the blue flash from the muzzle of Skye's Bernard-Oxford.  A strong magnetic pulse went straight to its target, rendering him unconscious.

After the guy went down, she didn't move, her gun pointing at nothing.  All she could hear and feel was her breath slamming back into her lungs and the pounding of her heart in her head.  She wasn't immediately aware of hands on her until she was standing up and Riddick turning her to face him.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.  She couldn't get herself to speak.  He reached out and wiped the blood off her face from the cut on her cheek and she grabbed his hand.  Concern creased his brow and it almost scared her as much as when anger creased it.  It was foreign to her to feel what she was feeling for him and to see those same feelings mirrored in his own eyes…

"Later," she managed to choke out, stepping around him.  Eric was already working the lock.

"So, you don't know _this_ code?" he asked.  She noticed the weird tone in his voice.

"Simple ones I can figure out.  This one," she pointed to the door, "is a little more complicated."  She wasn't angry with him for implying that she knew more than she was telling them.  He seemed satisfied with her answer and continued with his work.  The lock proving to be difficult like Skye had indicated, taking a little longer to open.

Riddick stepped up behind Skye and she unintentionally leaned back into him.  The warmth from his body seeped into her.  She tried to breathe him in but her lungs felt like they were burning and she could feel a dull ache starting in her shoulder.  Probably from when she fell.

Once the door was unlocked Skye switched her gun to the 9-millimeter.

"Follow my lead.  When we get in there, I'll tell you were to go and what to do," she said, cocking the gun.  As the door slid open, there was only one man visible to them and he was really close.  Skye stepped up to him and put the gun to the back of his head.  He started to move but she stopped him.

"I wouldn't move if I were you, cuz I'm tellin' ya, it won't be pretty."  Another lab tech came into view and Riddick drew his gun.  The guy's arms went up in surrender and Riddick took him out with his taser.  Skye realized her taser was still on the ground in the other room.

"Eric, why don't you go get your samples."  She turned her head to talk to him but she never looked away from the lab tech.  "The vials are in my vest pocket."  He slung his shotgun onto his shoulder and began fumbling with her vest.  "Side pocket, babe," she said, smiling.  He unzipped the side and pulled out the two vials and ran to the containment room.  "Riddick," he turned when she said his name.  "Will you be a dear and check the room behind you and get this man's friend to come and join the party?"  

"Sure thing boss," he said over his shoulder as he went to the room.  Skye turned the lab tech around and pushed him into a chair.  He looked freaked, like he wanted to ask her a question.  The word 'how' formed on his lips and she smiled at him.

"Where's your main computer, the one that's linked to every other one this company owns, and don't lie to me."

"Who are you and why are you here?"  His voice was shaky with apprehension.

"I think I'm the one asking the questions, okay?"  She pointed the gun in between his eyes.  He began visibly shaking when Riddick brought out the other man out of the room and sat him in a chair nest to the other one.  He looked at the guy and then at Skye.

"What'd you do to him?" he asked, amused.

"Nothing, I guess he's just afraid of guns," she said, as if she didn't understand the problem.  "Now where did you say that computer was?"  She turned her attention back to the tech.  He pointed a shaky finger to the other side of the room and she looked in that direction.  "You think you can watch them for a minute?" 

"Uh, yea," he said sarcastically.  Skye went to the computer and started it up.  She was starting to feel a little impatient, itching to get out of there.

"Hey Riddick, do you think you can convince one of those guys to give you the pass word for this computer?"  She could hear him snort.  Like he would have a problem convincing someone to talk.  Riddick loomed over the two men, making them shrink down in their seats.

"So, who's it gonna be?" he asked.  The men looked at each other before the one on the right raised his hand.

"I know it," he said weakly.

"Then get over there and help her and don't try any shit," he said, grabbing the guy and shoving him in her direction.  He kept his gun trained on the one still sitting but watched the other out of the corner of his eye.  Once she got the password, she put in the virus disk and let it wipe out everything the company had ever worked for and not just this location.  Anywhere Bi-Lines had a computer, this virus wiped everything out.

"Check this out," Eric said, emerging from the room.  "I didn't need the vials and these ones have Bi-Lines name engraved right into them."  He waved them in the air.  "Payday."  He tucked them safely into his vest.  

Skye finished destroying the files and got up to leave, not realizing the lab tech was still there.  She heard Riddick call out her name just as the tech kicked her in the ribs.

"Shit," she yelled out as she stumbled.  She didn't fall though and the tech regretted kicking her the second she grabbed his shirt.  The world seen through her eyes had a red tint to it.  Not just from her anger but from the pain.  She pulled back her arm and slammed her fist into his nose, breaking it on contact.  Pulling back again, her punch made contact with his eye and this time he went down.  She dove onto him, kneeing him in the stomach as she went.  "You fucking prick," she screamed in his face.

It was only a few seconds from the first hit but it felt like a lot longer to Skye.  Riddick left the guy he was watching to Eric and ran to help her.  The two were on the ground and she was screaming at him.  He pulled her off the guy and backed up.  There was nothing he could do that she hadn't already done.  He was bleeding profusely from his nose as he sat up.

"I thought you guys were supposed to be smart," Riddick growled at him.  Skye leaned over and put her hand to her side, wincing at the pain.  

"Stun these guys and let's get the hell outta here."  Her voice was full of pain, just like her body.  After zapping them, they ran out into the hall, Skye grabbing her taser on the way.  Riddick noticed she was holding her side but it wasn't slowing her down.  They ran down the halls, not going the way they came.  Not wanting to linger, they headed for the elevator for a quick shot out.

"Eric," Skye shouted up to him.

"Yea," he yelled back, not turning around.

"The elevator requires a code and a fingerprint to get off this level.  Can you still hack it?"

"Not a problem," he said.  Riddick had pulled ahead of her and she slowed as she tried to put her taser in her pocket.  When she came around a corner, she ran right into him.  He had come to a dead stop.  Breathing was getting more difficult every second.  Leaning over and holding her side, she spoke.

"Riddick, what are you doing?  Why'd you stop?"  She began wheezing a little.

"There's someone in there," he said, pointing to the door.  Skye glanced at the door and then back at the ground, her vision starting to blur.

"I know, but they're not a concern for us so move," she said her last word with urgency because she was hurt more than she was letting on and she didn't know how long it would be before she passed out.

"I have to know."  His voice took on an eerie quality that made Skye's heart skip a beat.

"Fine, the door's open so why don't you just go check it out," she said, feeling extremely irritated.  He opened the door, light spilling into the darkened room.  Skye squinted to see what was inside but there wasn't enough light.  She followed him through the door but didn't proceed any further.  Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she could see the outline of a bed and someone lying on it.  The person began to stir when they heard Riddick getting closer.

Skye gasped when she saw it was a very young girl with short hair and big blue eyes.  She had never seen her before but she could only figure a girl as young as she was, wasn't there for the work.  What shocked her even more was when the girl spoke and the one word she said.

"Riddick."  

"Jack," was his response.  Skye's mouth dropped open as Riddick scooped up the girl.  She held onto him and Skye could see the tears running down her face.  Skye wondered how this girl could possibly know him.  He walked passed her and out the door acting as though she wasn't even there.  Skye stood there for a moment looking at the floor, her mind going into overdrive.  It looked as if they all had their own little secrets.

Skye moved to leave but something caught her eye.  It looked like a hospital chart.  She was right; the girl wasn't there for work.  Taking the chart with her, she jogged painfully out of the room to catch up with the others.  Before she reached the elevator she could hear Eric asking Riddick where she was and who the girl was.  He was telling him but she couldn't make out what he was saying.

"Skye, move your ass," Eric yelled to her when he saw her.  She picked up the pace as much as she could and stepped on to the waiting elevator.  The ride up was like eternity.  Skye watched on as Riddick whispered things into the girl's ear and the girl would occasionally nod.  Eric remained silent but his gaze kept going from Riddick to Skye.  He noticed Skye wasn't looking too hot but he'd get her looked at as soon as they were home free.

Once outside of the building Eric contacted Raven over the comm unit.

"Raven, fire up the beast, we're on our way," he said.

"Roger that."  The trek back to the ship was a lot harder; being it was kind of uphill.  Skye pushed herself harder than she's ever had to.  The pain that had started in her ribs was beginning to spread through her body.  Her legs began to shake with the strain of trying to keep up and she was getting light headed from breathing shallowly.

Engines fired up and the ramp open and waiting was a welcoming sight to Skye, giving her enough strength to get on board.  Eric went right to the cockpit and Riddick headed for the room they set up as a med lab.  After everyone exchanged curious glances, Raven took off after Riddick, her being the one who knew the medical stuff and Kyle followed.  Skye sat on the floor near the ramp and leaned back against the wall basically giving up moving for the time being.

Eric got the ship into orbit and was still in the cockpit, setting their course for Marisphere.  Skye decided she needed to move and get checked but she needed help after crawling proved to be too hard.

"Can I get some fucking help here!" she yelled into the empty room.  Bad idea to yell because the pain shot through her lungs, brining tears to her eyes.  She let the sobs rack her body, taking short gasping breaths, feeling helpless and scared.  Everything that had happened in the past few hours had finally caught up with her.  She was mentally exhausted from using her 'sense', injured, frustrated at things she didn't understand, and feeling a little jealous.  Riddick wasn't involved with this girl sexually, Skye could just tell, but the fact that she was completely forgotten when he saw her…it hurt.

**** Finally, I got this chapter done.  Every time I started writing, more ideas popped in my head and the chapter just got longer and longer.  Please keep reading and remember to send a review.  I need a fix.  =)


	11. Chapter 11

Eric must have heard her cry for help because suddenly he was there, making her lie on her back.

"Shit, Skye.  How bad is it?" he put a hand on her forehead and ran it soothingly over her head.

"Broken rib is my guess," she gasped out.  He unzipped her vest and pulled up her shirt in spite of her increased cries of pain.  A nasty bruise had already formed on her right side, covering most of that area.

"Oh man," he said, pulling her shirt back down.  "Can you walk?"  Skye nodded to him.

"With help," she said.  Eric helped her into a sitting position and draped her left arm over his shoulder and helped her to her feet.  He hooked his finger in one of her belt loops so he wouldn't have to rest it on her injured side.  She leaned into him, grateful for the support.  He walked her to her room being careful not to jolt her, thus aggravating her injury.  She supported her own weight while he opened the door.  Once inside, he led her to her bed.

"Let's get this vest and shirt off and then I'll go get Raven."  He kept one hand around her waist to steady her and his other hand moved the vest off one shoulder.  Then, switching sides he moved it off the other shoulder before tossing it in the corner.  "Okay, now the hard part.  I'd let you sit down but with broken ribs, it'll hurt like hell."  He took her hands and placed them on his shoulders.  "I'll try to make this quick.  Just hold on to me."

"Eric, it hurts.  Let me just lie down," she breathed out.

"I know it hurts, baby but you can't lie down yet."  As gently as he could, he pulled the shirt up over her breasts, trying not to look at her lacy black bra.  "Okay, give me one of your arms."  She moved her right arm and slipped it through the sleeve.  After he got the other one out he carefully pulled it over her head.  Before he could drop it, Skye got dizzy and fell into him.  He wrapped his arms around her and he could feel her body shaking.

"Eric," her voice came out no more than a raspy whisper.  He backed her up to the bed and lowered her to a sitting position.  Kneeling in front of her he took her hands and held her weight as she rested onto her back.  Pain washed over her face, contorting her features in the dim light.

"I'll grab Raven, you just relax."  He ran a hand over her forehead, fingers trailing down her cheek.  Skye tried to take a deep breath but spots starting popping up in her vision so she let it out with an exasperated whimper, giving in to the darkness that began to creep up.

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"Skye."  Raven's voice sounded so far away.  Skye tried to grasp it and hold on but it faded.  She relaxed back into her dark haven.  "Skye, wake up."  There it was again and Skye grabbed a tight hold this time and was able to pull herself from her comfortable sleep.  Her eyes opened but everything was blurry, and the pain flooded back into her system like ice water, making her cringe and grip her side.

"Ohhh, owww."  Her groans indicating her awareness again.

"Good, we didn't lose you," Raven said with a little relief.

"Not a chance even if it would spare me the pain," she said through gritted teeth.

"Well, I'm here and I'm gonna fix you up."  Skye heard Raven messing with something and decided she could close her eyes for a minute.  That is until she felt Raven pressing something to her side.

"Owwww, what are you doing?" she wailed.  "I mean, not to sound like a wuss."

"Well, I scanned your body and you have a broken rib, a bruised shoulder and you'll need a few stitches in your cheek.  This healing patch will administer a numbing agent along with a healing chemical and those ribs of yours should be back to normal in a few days."

"Hell," Skye said, closing her eyes again.

"Looks like you got the shitty end of the lollipop," Raven said as she numbed Skye's cheek for stitching.

"Yea, I guess that's what you get when you take the lead in something like this and being a girl, well you know."  Raven chuckled.

"Oh I definitely know what you're talkin' about.  Men underestimate us don't they," Raven said, finishing up with the stitching and cleaning up the mess.  "I bet I could kick everyone's ass on this ship."  She made a face as if she was rethinking the remark.  "Well, except Riddick's.  But everyone else," she trailed off.  Skye would have laughed but it hurt too much.

"It would be fun to try though, wouldn't it," Skye said.  Raven watched her with interest.

"I guess it would."  She stood up to leave.  "Why don't you get some sleep, you'll feel so much better tomorrow."

"Hey, uh," Skye started to say.  Raven came back to the bed.  "Do you know anything about the girl Riddick brought in?"  Raven gave her an almost apologetic smile.

"I scanned her and drew some blood but that's all I know.  Sorry."  Skye attempted a smile but her eyes gave away her real emotions.  "Sleep.  Everything will be straightened out tomorrow."  Skye nodded her head and closed her eyes.

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When Skye finally woke the next day it was almost noon.  She was hungry and needed a shower but couldn't decide what to do first.  Her growling stomach made the decision for her as she was getting dressed.

After eating and probably the most soothing shower she's ever had, she decided to go talk to the mystery girl.  Nobody seemed to be around so she went straight to the med lab and knocked, not waiting for an answer before entering.  The girl was sitting comfortably in bed reading a book, most likely one of Raven's.  When she heard the door open she looked up and smiled when she saw Skye.

"Hi," she said in a cheery voice.

"Hey."  Skye felt a little awkward as she moved into the room.  "We haven't been introduced yet.  My name's Skye."  She held out a hand and the girl took it.

"So you're Skye," she said.  Skye was clearly confused by what the girl said.  "My name's Jackie but call me Jack."  Noticing the look on Skye's face, she felt it best to explain.  "Riddick mentioned you."

"Really?  So what'd he say about me?"  Skye sat down on the edge of the bed

"Just your name, in his sleep.  And I'll tell ya, he's not one to talk in his sleep."  She put her book away and leaned forward.  "You must have quite an effect on him."  Skye looked at her with shock.

"How old are you anyway?"  Jack seemed to be very wise but she couldn't possibly be that old.

"Fifteen," she said smiling.

"Fifteen?" Skye nearly shouted.  "Wow.  You don't talk like it."    

"I kinda had to grow up fast," she said and Skye gave her a sympathetic nod.  She looked to the floor when she asked her next question.

"So, how do you know that Riddick never talks in his sleep?"  Jack laughed at that.  It was a wonderful sound.

"Well, we've been through a lot together and you learn things that you normally wouldn't and you learn it fast."  Jack explained to Skye about the crash and the monsters, how she idolized Riddick, Carolyn, and the changes she saw in him by the time they made it off that rock.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that," she said, taking Jack's small hand.  "And I'm sorry for those who didn't make it.  Well, except for Johns."  Jack afforded her a smile.

So many things the poor girl had to see and deal with at a young age but a smile came to her face when she thought of Riddick.

"So, Riddick was your hero, huh?"

"Yea, I liked him the first time I saw him," she giggled.  "He's so cute."  Skye couldn't help but laugh.

"That he is," she agreed.

"I wanted to stay with him but it was for the best that he left me.  But then after Bi-Lines got a hold of me, I changed my mind.  Kind of weird that he would find me."  Skye nodded her head.  "I'm glad he did though because there's no one I trust more than him."

"That seems to be the consensus around here."  Skye got up off the bed.  "I'll let you get back to that book," she said, pointing to the book.  "It was nice to meet you."  She really liked Jack and she hoped the feeling was mutual.  One way to find out.  

Skye leaned over to her and pulled her into a hug.  Jack responded quickly and wrapped her thin arms around her.  Skye realized that even though Jack acted older, she was still a kid and there was probably a great need for affection in her life.

"I'll come by and see you later, okay?"  Skye pulled back and noticed tears shimmering in Jack's eyes.

"Okay," she said, managing a smile.

As Skye opened the door and slipped into the hallway, she ran into Riddick.

"Hey," she said, moving past him.  She wanted to move right into him but he had been acting funny since he found Jack.  Maybe there were things he needed to work out so she wasn't going to interfere.

"Skye, wait," Riddick called out.  Skye slowly turned to face him and he approached her.  Standing in front of her, she could see him in a different light.  After talking to Jack it was like she could see him clearly now.  All the good things she knew he had inside him had been confirmed by Jack.

"You okay?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"I will be.  Just a broken rib," she said, putting a hand to her side.  "Oh and a few stitches."  She turned her head so he could see.  Riddick felt bad that he didn't keep the promise he made her when they first met.  He said he would know if she needed help and he would be there.  'Looks like you fucked up' he thought, running a finger across her cheek, below the stitches.

"I didn't know you were hurt that bad.  My mind was somewhere else."  He pointed to the door behind him where Jack was.

"Don't worry, I didn't even know.  Adrenaline covered a lot of the pain."  Sadness washed over her face for a brief moment but Riddick noticed.

"Hey, it's over and we're still here."  He put his hands on her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"It doesn't feel like it's over."  Riddick's brow furrowed in thought.  He was feeling the same way.  Skye closed the small gap between them and wrapped her arms around his waist.  He enfolded her in his embrace, hearing her sigh.  She felt safe in his arms, snuggled in his neck, breathing him in, the warmth of his body.  It just felt so right to her.

Her lips lingered on his neck, dangerously close to pushing her over the edge with desire and taking him along.  She planted little kisses on his neck, letting her hands roam over his back.  A soft growl escaped his throat.  There was something in the way it sounded that made her tingle.

"You sure you wanna do that?"  His voice was low and husky.  Skye pulled back to look at him.

"Sorry.  I couldn't help myself."  She smiled dreamily at him.  His hands moved her hair off her shoulders and he let his fingers play along her jaw before he leaned in.  Gently, he pressed his lips to hers.  Skye felt her knees give so she gripped his arms for balance.  His taste flooded her mouth and her senses, feeling the softness of his lips moving slowly against hers.  The kiss intensified and she opened her mouth willingly to allow his tongue to slip in.  Their tongues played against each other sending the wet heat from her mouth down between her legs.

Her hands ran over his chest and down to the waist of his pants, daring to move just below that, grazing his hardness.  She pulled back from his lips a little to talk but not losing contact.

"Doesn't seem like you're minding too much that I'm doing this."  He kissed her harder to shut her up.  She ran her hand up his length feeling it getting even harder with her touch.  He pressed into her touch as he ran his hands down her sides.  Forgotten was her broken rib until he brushed his hand over it.

"Ow, shit," she gasped, breaking the warm contact of his lips.

"That's the broken one, huh?" he asked.  "You okay?"  Skye took a breath and nodded.

"It's fine," she said.  Putting a hand to her forehead, she let out a frustrated moan.  "Dammit, why can't this ever work?"  Riddick chuckled.

"It will.  Give it time.  I can wait."  He pulled her back into his arms gently and held her.  His erection was pressing almost painfully into her hip.

"You sure, because it sure doesn't feel like you can wait."  Skye looked into his eyes, gazes meeting as his moved down to look at what she was referring to.  He gave a snort of disapproval at his body's reaction.

"I'll live," he said.  "I got a few things I need to work on but I'll see ya later."  He kissed her lightly on the nose and left.

************************************************************************

Raven sat down on the couch in the living area and propped her feet up on the table and started going over the hospital chart Skye was smart enough to grab.  She flipped through the contents, reviewing the information.  There were documents on a complete physical and a list of medications given to Jack.

Raven was able to identify them all except for one.  She flipped back through the pages frantically almost tearing them, trying to find out more about this mystery drug when Skye walked in.

"What's up Raven?"  Raven glanced up before tossing the file on the table where her feet had previously been.

"Have you ever heard of Estamyathine?"  Raven asked.  Skye looked to the ceiling trying to recall if she's ever heard of it.

"No, I don't think so. Why?"

"Well, I was just going over Jack's chart and they had a list of meds used on her and that's one of them.  I've never heard of it before.  Everything else I have."  Raven watched as Skye went to the computer that Alex was usually glued to.  It dawned on her that she was going to do a look up.

"Is there anything you can't do?" she asked her, pulling up a seat next to her.

"Oh, I can think of at least one thing," she replied, referring to Riddick.  Raven didn't catch on though.

"By the way, how are you feeling?"

"Much better than yesterday, thanks to you."  Skye started on a basic search.

"Hey, my pleasure."  The computers basic search didn't bring up anything useful so Skye did a little hacking to get into a few hospital databases which also turned up nothing useful.  After a couple hours of research, Raven got up to stretch.

"I'm gonna go check on Jack.  Let me know if anything turns up."  Skye leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.  The images from the screen were burned into the back of her eyelids momentarily.

"I will," she said, raising her hands over her head to stretch.  The movement made her wince as her broken rib shifted.  It didn't hurt like it did the day before but the dull throb was still there.  She gave herself a few minutes before turning back to the computer.  A flashing icon caught her attention at the bottom left of the screen.  She figured it was something Alex was working on so she left it alone.

Hours later, Skye finally gave up.  She switched off the computer and sat there.  Something about this drug kept nagging at her but nothing was turning up.  A noise caught her attention and she looked towards the door.  Eric and Riddick were heading to the cockpit, Eric saying something she couldn't hear.  But her attention was on Riddick.  He must have sensed it because he looked over at her and smiled.  She smiled back, watching him as he disappeared through the other door.

Retreating through the door Riddick and Eric had just come through, Skye stopped in the kitchen to get something to eat before turning in.  She made sure to say goodnight to Jack before she went to her own room.

A few days later, completely healed, Skye woke from a dead sleep with a start.  Something was there with her.  At first she thought it was the leftovers of a nightmare but she can't remember even dreaming.  She looked around the room and saw that Raven was still asleep and that they were alone.

Concentrating on her surroundings she focused on everyone on the ship and where they were.  Counting each of them in her head she found the number went to eight.  That couldn't be right.  Figuring she was still half asleep, she counted again and got the same number.

"Shit," she exclaimed under her breath.  A chill sweep down her spine, raising goose bumps all over her body.  "There's someone else on the ship," she said to no one in particular.  A clanging sound outside her door made her jump and she pressed her back into the wall, pulling the covers up to her chin.  Her breathing became raspy as she tried to listen in the silence, convinced there was someone standing outside her door

The shadows in the room became alive.  Her mind was playing effective tricks on her, making her think there was something moving around in her room.  She couldn't even blink she was so scared.

As hard as she tried, she couldn't locate the eighth person.  The presence was strong but at the same time it wasn't.  Skye layed back on her bed, under the covers and shut her eyes tight.  Raven would be up soon and if she could just sleep off the next few hours she'd be okay.  She managed to doze here and there and nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Raven get up.

After she herself got dressed, she headed for the kitchen to eat, looking in every dark corner of the hallways on her way there.  She felt foolish about her little episode, acting like a kid afraid of monsters under the bed.  Fear was fear however, regardless of age.  The presence was still there but she wasn't as afraid with everybody up and about.

Before she got to the kitchen door, she felt a hand on her shoulder, sending a shock wave through her body.

"Shit!" she screamed out, clutching her heart as she turned to face the intruder.  It was only Riddick.  "Holy hell, Riddick.  You scared the fuckin' shit out of me."  Riddick looked a little confused.

"I thought you would've known I was there," he said, looking concerned.  Skye was trying to catch her breath, her heart pounding painfully in her chest.  She could feel a rush of adrenaline slowly make its way down her arms.

"My mind was somewhere else," she said, trying to shake out the heat that had filled her veins.

"On what?" he asked.

"Nothing important."  She wanted to be sure of what she felt before she told anyone.  He didn't look convinced but he didn't push it.  "So what's on the agenda?" she asked, continuing to the kitchen.

"We sit tight for two more weeks, drop the samples off, get paid, and we're done."  He followed her into the kitchen and sat at the table.

"How come you don't sound convinced?" she asked, eyeing him carefully.  She's found that through the weeks of working closely with him, he's been a little easier to read.

"That's probably because I'm not."  He leaned back in his chair, resting his hands behind his head.  "It's all been just a little too easy for my liking."  Skye nodded her head in agreement.

"I hear ya."  Skye looked towards the door suddenly, getting that weird feeling again.  Riddick followed her gaze to the door expecting someone to walk in.  When nobody did, he turned back to Skye and saw the worried look playing about her features.

"Skye," his smooth deep voice settled her frayed nerves and she took a breath.  Looking at him, she tried to smile to cover her worried thoughts.  "What's wrong?"

"Not sure."  Her voice held evidence of concern.

"You can talk to me.  You know that, right?"  She joined him at the table and took his hand.

"I know but I don't know what it is yet."  Riddick ran a thumb gently over the back of her hand in an effort to calm whatever fear she was experiencing.  She was touched by his show of affection and the fact that he wanted her to talk to him, tell him her worries and darkest thoughts.  She pulled his hand to her lips and kissed it.

"There's something I need to do so I'll find you later."  She got up to leave but he didn't let go of her hand, forcing her to turn back and nearly stumbling onto him.  He pulled her close and kissed her passionately on the lips.

"You make sure you do that."  He smiled seductively at her and her breath caught in her throat.  The strange feeling was forgotten for a moment when she left the kitchen, Riddick leaving her feeling warm and safe.  On her way down the hall she spotted Jack heading her way.

"Hey Jack," she called out.  Jack looked up and smiled weakly.  Skye could see she was paler than usual, looking pretty run down.  "Honey, are you okay?"  She cupped Jack's face in her hands and forced her to look at her.  Jack's eyes had lost the sparkle and her skin felt cold and clammy.

"I'm fine, just feeling a little sick."

"It might be the change in gravity pressure.  I went through the same thing when I first got on this ship."

"Yea, that's probably it," she said looking away.  "I'm gonna try to eat something and then I'm going back to bed."  Skye had the feeling that what Jack was going through had nothing to do with gravity.

"That sounds like a good idea.  If you need anything just let me know.  Or any of us for that matter."

"I will, thanks."  Jack walked to the kitchen and Skye watched.  Standing in the hallway, the presence made itself known.  Her skin began to crawl as she looked all around her.  She remembered the feeling she had when they were getting their info at Starks.  Eyes watching her that she couldn't see.  It was kind of like that.  Something else now plagued her mind.  Jack's sudden condition.

Skye went to the living area to do more research on the mystery drug, Estamyathine.  There has to be something she could find.  She expected to find Alex using the computer but he wasn't anywhere to be seen.  He was acting strange too.  Keeping himself locked away in his room.

Skye did hours of research, occasionally stopping to stretch, eat, check on Jack, or hang with Raven.  All the while, the invisible thing was still there with them.  By the end of the day Skye's nerves were shot and everything she heard made her heart stop.  She decided it was time to tell Riddick what she was feeling.  He was in the workout room training with Kyle, or more like, showing him a few tricks of his own.  She watched as Riddick helped Kyle off the ground.

"Riddick," she yelled to him, staying at the edge of the mat.  Both men stopped and turned to her, regarding her for a moment before Riddick jogged over to her.

"Yea?" he asked.  She took in his appearance.  Sweat glistening on his brow, dripping down his cheek to his neck.  She almost forgot why she was there.  "Skye?"  He waved his hand in front of her face.

"Oh, uh, can I talk to you for a minute?"  She paused.  "Alone," she added, looking at Kyle over his shoulder.

"Sure."  Riddick grabbed a towel from the bench, wiping off the sweat as he followed Skye out of the room.  She led him to the stairs leading to the cockpit and stopped.  Shifting nervously from foot to foot, she met his eyes before speaking.

"I've been feeling something really strange since this morning but I didn't want to say anything in case it was just in my head."  Riddick crossed his arms over his chest as she continued.  "Now, I'm pretty sure it's not in my head…"

"Wait," he cut in.  "What is it that you're feeling?"  Skye stepped closer to him and looked into his unprotected eyes.

"There's someone else on the ship with us," she whispered.  Riddick had the sudden urge to look over his shoulder but he fought it off.  The ship suddenly seemed deathly quiet.

"Maybe it's just Jack," he suggested but Skye was already shaking her head.

"No, I can feel her.  I can feel everyone and there are not seven of us anymore," she looked out into the living area.  "There's eight now."  Riddick finally gave in to the urge and looked over his shoulder.  They were alone as he expected.  No one in sight.

"You're giving me the creeps," he said still looking onto the living area.

"Try feeling what I'm feeling.  I'm surprised I haven't had a heart attack yet."  Riddick looked back at her.

'So where's this person?" he asked.

"That's the problem.  I don't know."  He looked at her skeptically.

"What do you mean, you don't know?"

"I can feel their presence but not their exact location.  Sometimes the feeling is stronger but I don't know if that means its closer."  Skye was clearly frustrated.  "It's hard to explain."  Riddick put his hands up to stop her from going on.

"Look, I'm going to gather everyone up and we'll meet you in the kitchen.  You tell them what's going on and maybe we'll come up with a solution together," Riddick said.

"Okay," she said.  Riddick took her arm and walked her to the kitchen.  Skye sat at the table trying to figure out how she could explain this and make sense.  Moments later, the crew filed into the kitchen and took seats throughout.  Riddick sat next to Jack, keeping a protective arm around her.

"So why the 'family' meeting?" Kyle asked.  Raven snickered at his choice of words.

"Eric, when you bought this ship were there any compartments for smuggling or anything like that?" Skye asked, ignoring Kyle's comment.  Eric sat up straighter in his seat.

"No, nothing and I've checked myself."

"Kyle, was there any way that someone could have gotten on the ship while we were in Bi-Lines?" she asked, turning to Kyle.

"No, the ramp was locked until right before you guys got to it," he explained.

"Then they couldn't be hiding," Skye said under her breath.

"Hiding?  What do you mean?  Who's hiding?" Raven asked.  Everyone's attention turned to Skye, waiting for an explanation.  She told them what she had just told Riddick, putting a little more detail into it.  The reactions were different with all of them.  Raven was rubbing her arms as if she were trying to warm up, Kyle lost his sarcastic smile, Alex's eyes kept darting around the room, Eric started pacing, and Jack snuggled closer to Riddick.

"So are you saying we have a ghost?"  Raven asked.

"Honestly, I don't know who or what it is, all I know is that they're here."

"Right now?"  Jack asked in a trembling voice.  Riddick ran his hand up and down her arm in an attempt to soothe her.

"Yea, I can feel them right now."

"Shit Skye, you're freakin' the hell out of me."  Raven moved closer to the group.  Everyone started talking at once.  Skye could pick out a few sentences like, 'I guess I won't be sleeping tonight' and 'there's no way I want to be alone on this ship now'.  Riddick let go of Jack and stood up, waving his arms to get everyone's attention

"Hey!  Listen!" he shouted.  The talking stopped, all eyes on him.  "Get your pillows, blankets, whatever else you're going to sleep with and meet in the living area.  We all sleep there until we figure this out."  Raven grabbed Kyle's arm and pulled him to the door.

"Come with me to get my stuff."  As they left Skye could tell the idea sounded good by the looks of relief on their faces.

"Skye."  Riddick's voice brought her attention to him.  "Will you get Jack situated?  I need a shower."

"Sure, come on Jack.  Let's get your stuff."  She wrapped and arm around her small shoulders and led her out of the room.

****Next chapter reveals all.  Who's the presence?  What's does the mystery drug do?  Why is Jack sick?  Will Skye and Riddick ever get together?  Keep reading to find out.  Next chapter will be up soon.  Thanks to all of my readers!!!  


	12. Chapter 12

****Okay, I lied.  This chapter won't reveal anything yet, except maybe a little skind. Maybe the next one will reveal more.  I'm working on it.

The living area was setup like one big slumber party.  Pillows and blankets lined the floor, Alex taking the safe spot near the wall, then it was Kyle, Raven, Eric, Skye, Jack, and of course Riddick took the outside.  The more exposed part of the room.

It was quite amusing.  Raven and Skye were giggling like little teenagers, braiding each others hair.  Jack would have been included but she was out cold.  As Riddick walked in from his shower, wearing only boxer/briefs, they both looked at him and Raven whispered something in Skye's ear.

"Oh, yeah," Skye said, taking a good look at Riddick as he settled in next to Jack.  "Definitely," she finished.  The guys tried to ignore them but Raven kept whispering to Skye and they would both look at whomever she was whispering about and start giggling.

"What the hell has gotten into you two?"  Eric asked, sitting up and pulling on Skye's braid that Raven just finished.  She swatted at his hand but missed as he pulled away.

"It's been awhile since I've done anything like this and I'm going to enjoy myself," Skye said, pushing Eric away.

"You know what we're missing?" he said, snapping his fingers.  "A pillow fight."  He had a funny smile on his face.  Riddick propped up on an elbow, suddenly interested.

"What?!" Skye and Raven said in unison.

"I don't think so," Skye said, noticing Riddick's interest.

"Then what else do you do at slumber parties?"  Raven layed back on Skye's pillow and just smiled.

"Well, let's see," Skye started, tapping her lips with a finger as if she was trying to remember.  "We talk about guys.  Who we like, who we don't like.  Who's cute, who's not.  How 'big' they are," she finished, looking in Riddick's direction.  He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Figures," Eric said, giving up.  "I'm going to sleep."  Skye smile disappeared as she looked towards one of the doors leading into the dark hallway.  Raven stood up to go back to her spot when she saw where Skye was looking.  She froze in her tracks and slowly turned in the direction of Skye's gaze.

"What is it?" she whispered.  Skye could only shrug her shoulders.  Raven's question made Riddick sit up, eyeing the doorway without his goggles on.

"Is there something there?" Eric asked also sitting up.

"No," Riddick answered, being the only one who can see in the dark.

"This is gonna be a long night," Raven said.

************************************************************************  

How right she was.  The night was long and everyone was restless.  Skye was on her back staring at the ceiling, her eyes having adjusted to the dark.  She could hear everyone breathing but barely over the hum of the ship.

Rolling over, she came face to face with Jack.  She looked so peaceful in her sleep.  Skye gently ran the backs of her fingers over Jack's cheek.  Poor kid.  It would do her some good to get some well deserved sleep.

Jack curled up, bringing her head down.  That's when Skye saw that Riddick was awake and watching her.

"Hey," she whispered.

"Hey," he returned.  They were silent for a moment, looking each other over, starting something in that one look that they were in no position to do anything about.  Skye let out a small laugh.

"What?" he asked.

"Just thinkin'."  She moved closer to Jack and he did the same.

"About what?"

"You," she said, smiling.

"What about me?"  Even though he kept his voice quiet, it still caressed her ears, sending shivers down her back.

"Everything about you."  She reached her hand over Jack to touch him, running her fingers lightly over his shoulder.  The silver glow disappeared as he closed his eyes.  She massaged his shoulder, moving down his arm, taking his hand.  He tugged on it, wanting her to come closer.  Skye carefully crawled over Jack, glancing at the sleeping forms next to her.  It was dark so even if they were awake, they wouldn't really be able to see what she was doing.

Riddick didn't move over so she lowered herself on top of him, wondering if that's what he wanted.  It was obvious when he wrapped his arms around her.  She settled onto his lips, kissing him long and soft, relieving some of the 'want' that had been building up inside her.  Her hands roamed up his chest as his went down her sides, coming up to rest on her ass.

Their tongues began to mingle, stroking over each other; playful at first but then becoming more demanding.  Skye was straining to keep quiet, their kissing was loud enough.  She could feel the hardness of his muscles below her, allowing her fingers to trace over the grooves on his chest.  Riddick shifted his hips, pressing his fast growing erection into her.

Skye pulled back, breaking the suction from their lip lock.  They both were breathing hard and Skye wanted to push it a little more.  She reached between them, Riddick remaining still as her hand grazed his stomach, his muscles twitching in anticipation.  Skye grasped the bottom of her shirt and pulled the tight material up over her breasts.  Her nerve endings were tingling with excitement but she was nervous.  Nobody has ever seen her naked before, but the approving smile Riddick was giving her wiped out all those nervous feelings she was having.

He pulled at her hips, dragging her up his body so she moved to her knees and leaned over to let her now hardened nipples run across his chest, making him inhale sharply.  A smile formed on her lips as she took a quick glance around the room.  So far so good.

She placed her hands on the floor above his shoulders, leaning closer until her nipples were tantalizingly close to his mouth.  Riddick decided it would be fun to tease her a little so he didn't make a move.  Skye dipped her shoulder, letting her nipple brush across his lips.  Upon contact, Skye felt her veins fill with liquid fire, burning a path through her body.  His breathing picked up in pace and so did her when he opened his mouth on the next sweep, his tongue barely grazing her.  Skye let out a quiet groan of frustration as she dropped her head to her chest.  Her braid slid over her shoulder, dangling next to her arm, the scent of her shampoo filling Riddick's nose.  His grips on her hips tightened and he finally gave in to her when he felt her moving against his hardness.  The thin material of her shorts and his boxers was their only barrier and he could feel just how wet she was. 

Riddick ran his tongue over her nipple, making Skye let out a sigh of relief.  He gave her another long stroke with his tongue, liking how much harder her nipple became with the attention he lavished on it.

He kissed his way over to the other side, taking his time, enjoying the taste of her skin.  Skye balanced herself on one hand so she could have a free hand to manipulate the hard muscle of his bicep, feeling it flexing under her fingers.  Riddick took her nipple fully in his mouth, rolling his tongue over it in a slow gentle motion while sucking rhythmically.

Skye closed her eyes and held her breath.  She was nearly brought to orgasm with his sucking motion.  Moving her hips in an effort to increase the sensation, Riddick let out a low growl and released her.  He sat up forcing her to sit up straight.  She wrapped her arms around his neck as his mouth searched for hers.  Their bodies were pressed together making Skye lightheaded with desire.  The light dusting of hair on his chest tickled her breasts turning her on even more.

Finding her mouth, Riddick kissed her deeply, exploring her mouth with his tongue and allowing her to do the same.  Feeling her soft skin against his and the wetness that seemed to increase suddenly, was more than he could handle.  He wanted her now and he didn't care who saw them.  Her desperation to have him was apparent in the way she clawed at his back and moved around on his lap.  Riddick pulled back from her lips a little to breathe, giving her an opportunity to speak.

"Riddick, I want…" she was cut off by movement to her right.  Jack had jumped up and was running out of the room.  Skye and Riddick both jumped at her sudden movement and were up in a flash going after her, Skye pulling her shirt down and Riddick adjusting himself in his boxers.  Her first thought was that Jack had seen them and was angry.

'How stupid can you be, Skye?' she scolded herself silently.  'Riddick's her idol and here you are making out with him fight in front of her.'

Skye caught a quick glance of Jack going into the bathroom as she rounded the corner.  She couldn't hear Riddick but she knew he was right on her heels.

"Lights 20%," she called out as she entered.  Knowing Riddick didn't have his goggles on, she kept the lights low.  As they were bathed in the soft glow Skye saw Jack leaning over the toilet, throwing up.  "Jack, sweetie," she cried out as she rushed over to her.  She got down on her knees and placed her hand on Jack's back, feeling her shaking.  "Riddick, get me a washcloth, please."  Her eyes were tearing up with emotion and Riddick was just a blur.  He didn't speak but moved fast; grabbing a washcloth, running it under water and squeezing it out before handing it to her.

Jack had leaned back and was sobbing.  Skye set down the washcloth and wrapped and arm around her.  She wiped off Jack's mouth with some tissue before flushing it all away.  Jack had broken out in a cold sweat and Skye used the washcloth to wipe down her forehead and face.

Riddick looked on as Skye's maternal instincts kicked in.  He felt helpless and unsure as to what his role in all this should be.  This wasn't his specialty; taking care of someone else like this, but he knew it was somewhere in him.

"Jack honey, are you okay?" Skye asked in a soothing tone.

"I feel a lot better now," she responded weakly.

"Do you think you can walk back to bed?"  Skye began rocking the exhausted girl.

"Yea, I think so," she said.  Riddick saw they were about to stand up so he went over to help.  He pulled Jack to her feet and wrapped and arm around her waist to keep her steady.  Skye got up on her own and went to the sink to rinse out the washcloth and fill up a glass of water.  She got some herbal drops from the cabinet that should ease Jack's nausea and put them in the water before she left the room.

"Lights out."  Skye was guided back to the living area by the faint glow from the corridor lighting.  Upon returning, she noticed that no one had woken up from what just happened.  Either they had been really quiet or these guys had finally stopped being restless and were out cold.  Riddick was getting Jack settled and Skye knelt down next to him and took his arm.

"Here Jack, drink this.  It should help."  Jack took the glass in shaky hands and drank slowly as they watched.  Skye started to feel a little shaky herself as the recent events caught up to her.  Riddick must have felt her shaking because he looked in her direction, seeing the scared look in her eyes.

Jack handed the glass back to Skye and she got up to put it away.  When Jack saw her leaving she reached out to her.

"No, stay with me."  Skye stopped and turned back.  "I don't know what's wrong with me and I'm scared."  Skye set the glass down and came back to her.  She layed down next to Jack and pulled her into her arms.

"We're not going anywhere.  You're safe with us."  She had meant to include Riddick when she said 'us'.  There was no way she wanted to be alone in this.  As she got comfortable, Riddick moved up behind her, draping an arm over both of them, letting his hand rest over Skye's that she had placed on Jack's back.  Their fingers interlaced as she leaned her head back to rest on his chest.  She was feeling overwhelmed by emotions as if Jack were her own child.  Wanting to be protective and keep the girl safe from any type of pain and of her feelings for Riddick.

"Sleep," Riddick whispered in her ear before kissing her on the neck.  It was as if he could feel her emotional turmoil.  His voice soothed her body and she let the pull of sleep finally take her down.  The thoughts of the 'ghost' were gone as she and Jack slept in the safety of his arms.

************************************************************************

Raven was the first to wake.  The lights came on slowly, imitating the morning light.  She stretched as she got up and stopped at what she saw.  Riddick, Skye, and Jack all cuddled up together, sleeping peacefully; Riddick had them both wrapped in his embrace.  Raven looked at them for a minute, allowing herself to smile.  They looked perfect together.

She headed off to the bathroom just before Riddick began to stir.  He took a deep breath and smiled when he realized who he was holding.  The two most important women in his life.  That thought shocked him but he had to admit it was true.

He released Skye's hand and put his on her hip; propping up on his elbow he looked at both of them before leaning in and kissing Skye on her shoulder and moving up her neck.  He watched as she smiled in her sleep and let out a satisfied moan, moving her hand from her hip and putting it on his thigh.  Her touch was like fire, burning his exposed skin.  Never had he felt anything like that and he's been with women before; even a few he thought would've hung around if he had let them, but none of them had a touch like this.

He reluctantly got up to start his day, letting the girls sleep a little longer.  It had been a pretty rough night for all of them but he had too much energy and needed to burn some of it off.  One last glance at them and he left the room.  As his head cleared of the last remnants of sleep he remembered what could have happened between him and Skye.  His mind drifted to where her hand had been, still feeling the heat.  He started wondering if he was the right kind of man for her.  Her life had been lived the complete opposite of his and did her really want to drag her down into his hell?

His thoughts were interrupted as he ran into Raven.

"Good morning," she said cheerfully.

"Hey," he replied, voice still heavy with sleep.

"Sleep well?" she asked.

"After a point."  She was smiling at him and for just a second he couldn't figure out why.  Then it dawned on him that she had seen their sleeping arrangements when she had gotten up.

"Well, I'll see ya later," she said.  He nodded and proceeded down the hall, feeling her gaze on his back.

When he emerged from the bathroom everyone was up and putting their things away.  Skye had taken Jack to medical, so she could get more rest, before heading to the shower.  Her body was aching for some reason but the warm water relieved most of the pain.  But the other aching she started feeling could only be relieved by one thing and by one person only.  She was very tempted to yell out for Riddick and drag him in the shower with her.  With the door locked she could have her way with him and nobody needed to know.  That would have to wait because at the moment, she was more determined to find out about that drug.  Jack's life might depend on it.

While she was dressing she remembered seeing the icon that had been flashing briefly the last time she was doing research.  Her heart rate increased as she suddenly felt this little icon would have the answers to all her questions.  Last time it popped up she ignored it but she wouldn't do that again.

****R&R, I need it.  Thanks for following my story.  More to come and very soon. =)


	13. Chapter 13

The living area was deserted as the others were either working out or making the usual repairs on the ship.  Skye followed the same path when she first started researching Estamyathine and after about an hour the little icon popped up.

"Gotchya," she said, clicking on it.  It was a transmission and as she read it her mouth dropped open.  This was not happening.  Her heart began beating wildly as she pushed away from the computer.  "Shit, shit, shit," she chanted.  "Raven!" she yelled as she ran out of the room.  "Raven!" she yelled again.  Raven came flying out of the workout room in a panic.

"What?!  What's wrong?!" she yelled.

"Come with me."  Skye grabbed her arm and pulled her to medical where Jack was.

"Skye, what's going on?" she asked as they entered the room.

"I need you to run a scan on her."  Jack woke up as they came in and looked suddenly panicked at the sound of Skye's voice.

"I did one almost a week ago and she was fine," she replied.

"Just do another one," Skye said, moving to Jack's side.

"Alright."  Raven turned around to set up the bar scanner.

"Skye, what's happening?"  Jack's worried voice brought Skye's gaze to her.  Taking the girls small hand she tried to give her a reassuring smile.

"You'll be fine; we just need to check something."

"Okay, what am I looking for?"  Raven asked.

"I'll tell you when I see it."  Raven started the scan at Jack's head and moved it slowly down her body while she watched the monitor.  So far everything looked normal.  Skye grabbed her wrist and moved the bar down to the lower part of Jack's belly.  Raven's brow furrowed in confusion but quickly changed to shock when she saw what was on the screen.

"Holy shit," Raven whispered.  "That can't be right."  Jack sat up a little so she could see what they were looking at.  Her eyes went wide when the image sunk into her head.

"No, no, no," she started crying.

"Jack, honey, it's okay."  Skye made her lie back down and ran a hand over her head.

"No it's not okay, Riddick is gonna kill me." The tears poured down her cheeks.

"He won't Jack, I promise."  They were interrupted from the sound of the door opening.

"Raven, you in here?" Eric called out as he walked in.  They all turned to stare at him still in shock at what they had just found out.  "What?" he asked, giving them a weird look.  The monitor caught his attention and he moved in for a closer look.  "What the hell is that?"

"That looks to me like a baby," Raven started.  Jack's crying increased.  "Judging by size, she's three months along," Raven finished matter-of-factly.

"What?" Eric asked, stupefied.  Raven put the bar scan away and shook her head.

"She wasn't pregnant a week ago and now she's three months along?  It doesn't make any sense," Raven said, turning to Skye.  "Why all of a sudden did you think to run a scan?"

"Estamyathine is a drug with exponential growth properties.  I just read a transmission saying that it will stay dormant in a patient until pregnancy occurs; when it does, the baby will grow and be born in three weeks time," Skye talked fast, trying to get it all out before the questions hit.

"What transmission were you reading?" Eric asked.

"The one on the computer."  She let go of Jack's hand and approached Eric.  "Eric, I need you to detain Alex and keep Riddick away from him until I can talk to him."

"Why Alex?"

"Because he's the father."

"Oh my God," Raven gasped.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute.  How do you know that?" Eric asked, putting his hands up.

"The transmission I read was a communication between Alex and Bi-Lines.  They knew what went down somehow and that we had Jack.  The only way to salvage the research they had was to bribe Alex to have sex with her.  My guess is they'll try to get her back to see if their research worked."

"Okay," he said slowly.  "How did Alex get in on this?"

"I'm thinking someone alerted them of our take down and they picked up a transmission of ours.  They were helpless to stop us and all they had left was bribery and Alex was on the other end."  Eric ran a hand through his hair.

"Good enough for me.  I'll hold Alex, you go talk to Riddick," he said with some reluctance as he left the room.

"Jack sweetie, can you tell me exactly what happened?" Skye asked, taking Jack's hand again.

"I thought it was a dream.  I can't remember anything, really."  She was still crying and Skye gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Everything will be okay.  Raven, stay here and watch after her, I've got to find Riddick."  Skye was a little nervous as she headed to the engine room where she knew Riddick was.  He was not going to like this and she wasn't sure she would be able to hold him back.  She quietly climbed down the latter, listening to Riddick and Kyle talking, trying to push away her fear because she knew Riddick would smell it.

"Riddick," she said once they were in view.  So much for hiding her fear, the urgency in her voice stopped him cold. He handed Kyle the tools he was holding and walked the few steps to her.

"What is it?" he questioned.  She took his hand without saying anything and led him up the latter and to his room, hoping they wouldn't run into Alex along the way.

Safely inside, Skye locked the door and turned to him.

"I guess now would be good a time as any."  He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her.

"No, I've got to tell you something but you have to promise me you'll listen to the whole thing before you freak out."  Riddick pulled back from her.  He could feel something was very wrong and he didn't need her telling him not to freak out to know it.

"Talk," he gritted out.  They both could feel the tension in the air starting to build and Skye tried to take a deep breath before speaking.

"I came across a transmission between Alex and Bi-Lines.  They offered him a million dollars to have sex with Jack."  She was about to go on but the reaction she got from Riddick made her stop.

"What the fuck!" he yelled.  His rage swept across her body, chilling her to the bone.  "He's dead!"  He headed for the door but Skye blocked him.

"Riddick!" she yelled to get his attention.  "That's not all of it."  He was breathing hard, clenching his hands into fists.

"What else?" he growled.

"There was a drug in her system and when she and Alex had sex she got pregnant and now she three months along.  In two weeks…"

"She's pregnant?" he interrupted, suddenly looking defeated.

"In two weeks she'll have the baby," she continued more softly this time.  He sat heavily on the bed as Skye watched the defeated animal become enraged again.

"How could she be so stupid?

"Riddick, look," Skye said, kneeling in front of him and taking his hands.  "She told me she doesn't remember that much of it happening.  It was like a dream, or more like a nightmare.  He might have drugged her."  The look of anger gleamed in his already glowing eyes.

"He'll pay…slowly."  He started to stand but Skye pulled him back down.

"Later, right now Jack needs you.  Don't blame her for what happened.  Just be there for her."  Riddick stared into her eyes, trying to push back the animal that so badly wanted out.

"She's so young," he whispered.

"I know and she's scared.  She's afraid you're going to be mad at her."  Riddick almost looked hurt.

"I'm not mad at her," he said.

"I told her you wouldn't be.  She needs your support."

"You're probably better suited for that than I am."  His voice came out deep and harsh as he stood up.  Skye moved back, trusting that he wouldn't try to leave.  He paced the small room like a caged animal, having to deal with emotions he wasn't used to.

"Riddick, you're a natural protector and she knows that."

"I couldn't protect her from that asshole so why would she think I could protect her from anything else?"  He ran his hands over his head looking like he wanted to punch through the wall.

"No one saw this coming.  Don't blame yourself.  She doesn't."  'Don't blame yourself' Riddick remembers telling that to Carolyn, trying to convince her not to go back for Jack and Imam. 'Fuck!' he screamed in his head.

Skye cautiously approached him and he stopped pacing when she blocked his way, keeping his eyes to the floor.

"She wants to see you."  Skye ran her hands over his arms, waiting for him to meet her gaze.  When he did she pulled him into her embrace.  He hugged her back fiercely, needing an anchor.  "Will you see her?"  Riddick pulled back and gave her a nod.  "Good," she said grabbing his hand and leading him from the room.  The short walk to medical was like walking through quicksand.  Thoughts ran through Skye's mind in a blur and she could only imagine what Riddick was going through.  He seemed really torn with the thought of having to care for someone else.  It made her wonder about how he felt about her.  He was letting her get close but maybe it was a different kind of close.  Sex.  They haven't had it yet but she was sure it would happen eventually.

Maybe he didn't take sex as a serious emotion.  Just a release his body needed.  She quickly pushed those thoughts from her head, not wanting to think about it.

When they got to medical, Riddick stayed behind Skye as they moved to Jack's bed.  She had been crying, her eyes red and swollen.  When she caught sight of Riddick she put her face in her hands and started all over again.  Skye looked over her shoulder at him and gave him a look telling him to do something.  She heard him take a breath before moving around her and going to Jack.

He didn't say anything as he climbed in bed with her.  When Jack realized he was there she wrapped her arms tightly around him as he was pulling his goggles down around his neck.

"I'm so sorry," she cried.  Her voice was muffled from being pressed into his chest.

"Nothin' to be sorry about kid."  He stroked her back awkwardly but gently.  "It's not your fault."  He acted a little unsure of how to comfort her but Skye saw he was quickly catching on.  She felt an odd flutter in her heart as she watched, wanting so much to be a part of them.

"I'll leave you two alone," she said quietly.  Riddick glanced over at her looking like he might say something but the words never came out.  Skye leaned over and kissed Jack on the forehead.  "You're in good hands now."  As she straightened up she met Riddick's eyes.  Again he looked as if he might speak but Skye stopped him by kissing him.  The warmth spread quickly from their lips but the heat was different than before.  Deeper, more meaningful, affecting her in places that it didn't before.  Not just turning on her most sensitive parts but tickling through the deepest regions of her body and mind.  It was a kiss that said a thousand words; total trust, respect, love.  Love?  Is that what she was feeling?  Is that what he was feeling?

Breaking the kiss, Skye turned away fast, not wanting him to speak or see the tears forming in her eyes.  Out in the hall she leaned heavily against the wall still feeling him with her.  His scent, his taste had followed her and had made a permanent resident of itself in her mind.  All she wanted to do was climb into that bed with them, be as close as she could get.  They were both starting to mean a lot to her.

Unfortunately there were things she needed to take care of first.  Forcing herself away form the room, she went to find Eric and more importantly, Alex.  She kind of felt like a hypocrite for keeping Riddick from going after Alex when that's exactly what she was doing now.

Eric, Kyle and Alex were in Alex's room and as she stepped into the room, Alex jumped.  Skye wanted to laugh but she was too angry.

"Don't worry, I'm not Riddick."  He relaxed a little and that made her mad.  "Doesn't mean he won't be the next one through that door."  She pointed angrily at the door.  Alex seemed to shrink back and Skye finally understood why Riddick uses people's fears to take control of the situation.  "So, tell me what the hell you were thinking."

"I don't know," he said weakly.

"What the fuck you mean you don't know?" she yelled at him.

'The pay was good and I needed the money."

"So you rape and ruin a girl's life?  You son of a bitch!"  She ran for him but Kyle grabbed her around the waist.  Not soon enough though.  She kicked at him and managed to catch him under the chin snapping his head back.  "She's fifteen fucking years old and you fucked up her life."  She was losing control and if it weren't for Kyle holding her back, she would have killed him herself.

"Skye," Kyle yelled as he tried to restrain her.  "Calm down."  He pulled her as far away from Alex as the small room would allow, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Bitch," Alex mumbled under his breath as he wiped blood off his chin that was trickling out of his mouth.

"Hey!"  Kyle focused his attention back on Alex.  "I could let her go and leave you two locked in here.  You want that?"  Alex quickly shook his head 'no'.

Eric stood by and watched the whole thing, not caring what happened to Alex at this point.

"You know they won't pay you," Skye spoke more quietly this time.  "You've done your job and they won't need you anymore.  They'll take Jack away from us and you will be forgotten."  Kyle eased his grip but kept his arms around her.  Eric looked a little surprised by what she said, then became nervous.

"Kyle, keep and eye on him.  Skye come with me."  Eric took Skye's arm and pulled her out of the room.  "What do you mean they'll take her away?" he asked once they were in the hall.

"Come on Eric.  Do you think they even would have bothered with Alex if they didn't want to get their hands on the results?" she asked.  "There's too much at stake.  Right now that company has shit except for Jack.  If they get her they might be able to salvage some of their research."

"You're right.  We watch our assed the rest of the way back to Marisphere, drop those damn samples off, get paid, and get the hell out."

"Jack will probably have her baby by then, might even have to deliver at Marisphere," she said, thinking out loud of all the possibilities.

"Shit, okay, we watch our asses there too."  He put his arm around her as they continued down the hall.  "I'll tell the others what's going on and you just stay with Jack and try to relax."

"Fine."

"Hey, how _did you stumble across that transmission anyway?  I thought Alex was an expert hacker?"_

"He is but when Riddick and I installed the new tracking system, he didn't know.  The tracker wasn't just for tracking other ships; it was also for all electronic transmissions.  Without that knowledge, he didn't bother to sneak around, just walked right into it instead."

"Man, that was lucky," he said, stopping in front of the door to medical.

"Let's hope that luck decides to hang around a little longer," she said as she opened the door.  Riddick and Jack were in the same position they were in when Skye left them; Jack sleeping now.  Riddick turned his head towards the door when they entered.

"Hey Rid, we need to talk.  Skye will stay with Jack."  Riddick gently removed Jack's arms from his waist and slowly slipped off the bed.  She was so exhausted she didn't even stir.  As Riddick passed Skye he noticed she looked a little flushed.

"Everything okay?" he asked.  Skye nodded.

"Yea, but she nearly kicked Alex's ass," Eric stated.  Riddick gave her a smile.

"Nice," he purred out as he left.

Skye pulled a chair up to Jack's bedside and sat down, looking over her sleeping form she realized her stomach looked different.  Already starting to grow with the child inside her.  She smoothed her hand over Jack's belly, at the same time feeling her own stomach.  Would she ever know what it is like to have a baby grow inside her?  That's when it hit her, like a ton of bricks.  The energy from Jack's baby flowed through her fingers and up her arm.  All along it was the baby that had been their 'ghost'.


	14. Chapter 14

Less than two weeks to go and everyday Jack's belly got bigger and with that came more and more pain.  The baby was growing fast,     not giving Jack's body enough time to adjust.  There was someone by her side at all times, giving their support and trying to help her through the pain.  The scan Raven did at the end of the second week showed that the baby was healthy although it was at the expense of Jack's own health.

"Skye, I'm worried," Raven voiced her fears as she and Skye stood outside of medical in the hall.  "I don't know how Jack's body is going to handle this.  Her blood pressure is up, so is her heart rate and I can't give her any painkiller too strong because she's pregnant."

"What's making her blood pressure go up?" Skye asked as she leaned against the wall on the opposite side of where Raven was standing.

"Well, her body is supporting the growth of another life for one thing.  That's enough to make it go up.  The baby's is growing faster than any living thing out there which is putting more strain on her.  Oh, and the fact that she's only fifteen years old.  She's not done growing herself."  Skye wearily rubbed the back of her neck as Raven spoke.  She didn't like where all this was leading.  It was obvious that Bi-Lines didn't care what happened to Jack, they just wanted that baby.  What they didn't realize is that the one and only Richard B. Riddick was connected to Jack and if she died there's no telling what he would do or how many people would die.

Jack's scream ripped Skye from her thoughts and she and Raven were pushing through the door in a panic.

"Jack, what's wrong!"  Skye screamed.  Raven immediately checked her vitals while Jack thrashed in severe pain on the bed.

"It…it hur…hurts!"

"Enough of this."  Skye ripped the blankets off and sat Jack up. "I have an idea on how to ease some of this pain."  Jack had a hard time maneuvering with her belly in the way.  "Raven help me get her to the shower."  Raven helped Skye stand Jack up and they supported her through the pain of walking that her now swollen ankles were protesting to.  By the time they made the short walk to the bathroom, Jack was crying uncontrollably, breathing in shallow breaths.

"Deep breaths Jack, come on," Raven encouraged.  As soon as they got in the bathroom, they stripped off Jack's nightgown and stepped into the shower, fully dressed.  The warm water seemed to work as Jack's crying eased up.  Skye massaged her back while Raven worked her shoulders.  She was too weak to stand on her own so they took turns holding her up.  Skye and Raven were in the middle of exchanging worried looks when they heard the door open.  Kyle came in and noticed someone was in the shower so he began to retreat.

"Sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here."

"It's okay Kyle, you can come in," Raven shouted to be heard over the running water.  He came back in but this time took a better look in the shower.

"What's goin' on in there?" he asked.  He pulled back the glass a little to see.  "Whoa!  Hello!"  A smile spread across his face as he nodded in approval.  "Three girls in the shower, nice."  Jack raised a weak arm and flipped him off.  Raven laughed like she's never laughed before.  
  


"That's my girl, Jack," Skye chuckled.  Riddick walked through the door at that time and his movements slowed as he took in the scene before him.  He approached the shower and stood there dumb-founded.

"You guys okay?" he asked slowly, still unsure of what was going on and the smile on Kyle's face was a little unnerving. 

"Yup, just providing a little pain relief," Skye answered, considering Raven was still laughing.  Kyle lightly punched Riddick in the arm and pointed to the shower.  Riddick smirked at him before turning his attention back to the shower.

"Three girls in the shower," he said in almost a sing-song way.  Without looking at him, Riddick put his hand on Kyle's shoulder and shoved hard enough to send him stumbling to the floor.  Everyone had a good laugh which lightened the mood considerably.  Jack even laughed as much as was comfortable.

"And that's my man," Skye said with a big smile.  Riddick looked a little shocked but at the same time, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Will you need any help?" Riddick asked as he helped Kyle up off the floor.

"I think we can handle it," Raven said.

"Okay, we'll leave you to it then."  Riddick said forcing Kyle to the door and gave them one last look before following him through.

************************************************************************

The shower did wonders.  Spasms that had wracked her body earlier had subsided, allowing her to fall asleep.  Skye took up residence in a chair in the corner and was soon asleep herself.  Nightmares plagued her defenseless mind, forcing her to see things she didn't want to see.  Putting her in positions she didn't want to be in.  Jack was screaming as blood pooled around her from an unseen wound and Riddick was just standing there, unresponsive.  Skye screamed at him for help but nothing came out and he never even looked over at her.

She jerked awake and fell to the floor.  Not moving from the ground, still paralyzed from the dream, she let her eyes adjust to the dark.  As her breathing slowed she could make out the form of someone sitting in a chair on the other side of the room by the door.  Judging by the size and the unique silver eyes, she knew it was Riddick.

"Nightmares?" he asked, his voice lower and more gravelly than usual.

"Yea," she whispered as she stood up.  Her muscles were groaning in protest to her movements.

"Why don't you go to your room for some sleep and I'll watch over her."

"You sure?" she asked.

"I'm sure."  Skye headed for the door but felt compelled to stop.

"Riddick?"  He turned to look at her.  "Do you think Jack will be okay?"  Her words came out weakly.

"Don't know," he said, looking back to Jack.  "We can only hope."

"Sounds like we got a lot riding on 'hope' these days."  Riddick shrugged his shoulders, not verbally responding.  He never had reason before to hope for anything but now was different.  His life had drastically turned around in a matter of months but in a sick way it made him uncomfortable.  Deep in thought, he almost jumped when he felt Skye's hands on him.  She began massaging his shoulders and neck bringing out an involuntary sigh.  There was nothing sexual about it but they were both enjoying the contact.

His tense muscles began to loosen under the workings of her hands, manipulating the muscle into a warm relaxed state.  Funny how it put her in that same warm place and she was the one doing all the work.  She didn't mind though, she liked the way he felt.  Hard muscle covered in soft skin, hands that were strong enough to break necks but also gentle enough to soothe a scared child, his sense of humor that has shown through his hardened demeanor a few times, and the way his voice could either scare or excite a person.

Here was this man, so many different sides to him and she was lucky enough to be in his presence; changing right before her eyes, from the monster society, and himself, labeled him to be to the man she knew he really was.

Riddick leaned forward so she could work down his back, which she gladly did.  She continued moving all the way down then slowly made her way back up.

"You're good," he said as she got back up to his shoulders.

"Thanks."

"Remind me to return the favor," he said, grabbing her hands and pulling her arms around him.

"That you can count on."  Skye rested her lips on his shoulder and breathed him in. 'Yea, everything would be okay' a voice in her head told her.  "Let me know if you need anything," she whispered suggestively as she kissed up his neck.  Riddick let out a deep groan.

"I hope you mean that," he whispered back.  Skye smiled against his neck.

"Oh, I mean it."  Riddick turned his head so he could look at her.

"Good."  He leaned closer and caught her lips with his, kissing her softly.  When they pulled apart she wanted more of him so she sat on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.  Riddick closed his eyes and snaked his arms around her waist, holding her close.  "We'll get through this."  He felt her arms tighten around him.  "Together," he added.  

After a few minutes, Skye was able to pull herself from his arms and sleepily made her way to her room.  If only she could get a little dreamless sleep she'd be okay.  Although, it wasn't the fear of the future that kept her awake this time, it was that kiss.  It was blowing her mind that kissing him now felt different.  Not just different but absolutely wonderful.  It was as if they mutually agreed to take their relationship further without even taking it further,

She wasn't going to bring up her thoughts because she was afraid it might scare him off.  Right now she needed him in her life.  That was a pleasant yet scary thought for her.  What if he decided not to hang around after the mission was over?  If she got too attached it would be harder to let him go.  She knew there was no way she wouldn't get attached because she already was.  One step at a time.  That's all she could do.

************************************************************************ 

During the last week of the mission, Jack's pain eased up, her good mood was back, and her skin had a healthy glow to it.  She stayed in bed to rest but that didn't stop her from being happy and Skye spent a lot of time with her.

Jack was very eager to talk about all the things she would do for the baby once it was born and Skye listened to everything and she was happy to do it.  The more Jack talked the more Skye yearned for a baby of her own.  She talked about how it felt when it moved around inside her and the strong connection she was feeling for someone she hadn't even met.

Her emotions would sometimes overwhelm her and she would cry and Skye would cry along with her and occasionally cry when she was alone.  She felt her own connection with Jack growing stronger along with her love for the girl making the end of their trip more frightening.  

Jack wanted the sex of the baby to be a surprise but she had picked out names but she wouldn't tell anyone what they were.  It sounded to Skye like Jack was going to keep the baby.  How was having this baby going to affect her body and mind?  Having no kids, Skye could only imagine how hard it would be to raise one, let again giving birth to one.  All Skye knew was that whatever Jack decided about her life, she would be there for her and give her all the support she'd need.

**** We're getting' down to the last chapters.  I hope everyone who has read it have liked it so far.  Riddick and Skye will be gettin' together very soon so keep reading.  Any ideas on a name?  Give me some ideas for boys and girls' names.  Remember to send a review.  =)


	15. Chapter 15

"There it is," Eric said pointing out the window of the cockpit.  Marisphere was a huge structure just floating in space, probably capable of carrying thousands of people.

Skye leaned over the back of Eric's seat to get a better look.

'That's good because Jack's contractions have started."  Riddick shot a look to her.

"Is she okay?" he asked.  He was wearing a mask of worry and that made Skye nervous. 'Please Riddick, I need you strong' she pleaded silently.

"Raven's with her and everything is going the way it's supposed to."  She put a hand on his shoulder.  "Very painfully," she added.  Riddick breathed out and leaned back in his seat and Skye watched him from the corner of her eye.  The upcoming event was going to put them under a lot of stress and Riddick was going to have to go through things he's never had to and Skye figured she'd have to be the strong one.

"Skye, grab Kyle and make sure everything is on lock-down.  We dock in 20 minutes," Eric said without looking at her.

"Got it," she replied, bounding up the stairs to find Kyle.  While they were securing everything Eric contacted Marisphere and told them to have medical staff ready when they docked.

"Tell me what you're feelin' big-guy," Eric threw out.  Riddick glanced over at him.

"Can't tell but you know me, I don't trust anyone and that includes the company that's paying us."

"Yea, something just doesn't feel right.  Stay on your toes," Eric said.

"As always," Riddick returned.

It was the longest 20 minutes any of them had gone through.  Raven was with Jack, Kyle kept watch on Alex, and Skye was up front with Riddick and Eric.  Riddick looked calm again but Skye knew better.  She could feel the tension coming off his body in waves.

As soon as the docking clamps were in place Eric ran to the ramp to unlock and lower it.  Medical was standing by just as they had requested.  Riddick and Skye stood back so they could get on board and get to Jack   The medical staff was fast and efficient; only taking a couple minutes to assess and move Jack out of the ship and to their sick bay.  Kyle and Raven hauled Alex to security to explain _that situation while the others followed Jack.  They were silent as they walked swiftly down the halls and those people that were in the halls quickly stepped out of the way._

Riddick pushed through the doors to the sick bay and stepped into the waiting room.

"Where's the girl?" he asked the nurse at the desk.

"Oh, the one they just brought in?" she asked, looking through some files.

"That would be her," he replied with an eerie calmness.

"This way."  She got up and headed down a small corridor and around a corner.  There was another waiting room outside a set of double doors where the nurse had stopped.  "They've taken her right to delivery so wait here and I'll go see what's happening."  Riddick turned away as the nurse went through the doors, running a hand over his head.  Eric gave him a pat on the back as he walked by and took a seat.  Skye took the one next to him, both of them watching Riddick.

"You guys back here?"  They heard Raven call out.  They all heard her but no one answered.  As Raven stepped into view she stopped and looked at the solemn looks on their faces.  "Is everything okay?" she asked slowly.

"We don't know yet," Skye replied watching as Riddick began to pace.

"Eric, security needs your report on…" she hesitated, pointing to the double doors, "what happened, since you're the Captain."

"All right."  He got up to leave but stopped.  "I'll hurry back but if you need me…"

"We'll find you," Skye finished for him with as much of a convincing smile as she could manage.  He nodded and left the room.  Raven stood by for a moment watching the way Skye looked at Riddick and how upset he looked.  That was a first.  Before leaving she went to Skye and hugged her.

"I'm hoping for the best," she whispered in her ear.  Skye hugged her back, closing her eyes and trying hard not to cry.  Raven looked at Riddick over Skye's shoulder and saw he had stopped pacing and was staring at them.  She broke the embrace and stepped up to him.  Smiling, she punched him playfully in the arm.  "Riddick," was all she said.  He gave her a small smile.

"Raven," he returned, punching her in the arm.  They exchanged a look that basically said they understood each other, then she left.

Skye and Riddick didn't move as if they were afraid that any disturbance in the air around them might bring about catastrophe.  The silence was almost deafening as she listened for something that wasn't even there to hear.  Her only awareness was the coolness of the air which was disturbed as someone on the other side of the double doors approached.  Turning her attention to the door the same time Riddick did, the nurse rushed back into the room.

"They're having a slight problem," she started.  Riddick stepped forward.

"What problem?" he demanded.  The nurse looked a little worried by Riddick's intimidating stance.

"Uh, she won't be able to go through the natural birthing process.  She's too small so they'll be performing a Cesarean Section," she stuttered.

"Is she going to be okay?" Skye asked as she stepped in between Riddick and the nurse.

"It's all procedure but like any emergency surgery, there are risks."  Skye chest tightened.  Jack was in a higher risk given her age and the unknown effects of the drug she was given.

"Tell the doctor that she was on a drug called Estamyathine," Skye started saying but the nurse cut her off.

"Wait, I've never heard of it."

"We haven't either but it brought that baby to full term in three weeks and we don't know what else it can do," she finished in a rush.

"I'll tell him but all you can do now is wait.  The surgery shouldn't take too long and I'll have the doctor come out and talk to you when it's over."  She went back through the double doors as Skye turned to face Riddick.  The look on his face scared her.  It was one of intense anger and hatred.  The animal was out and Skye had to pump herself up for whatever the animal had in store.

"Riddick," she said putting a hand on his arm.  He flinched away from her as if her touch had hurt.

"I can't do this," he growled out.  He started to turn away but Skye grabbed his arm and forced him to look at her.

"No, don't turn away.  We need to deal with this," she almost yelled.

"No, it's too much.  This is why I prefer not to care!" he yelled, backing away from her.

"Riddick, you need to be strong.  Be strong for Jack!" she yelled, pointing to the doors.  "You're her hero, don't let her down."

"I didn't ask to be her hero," he said through clenched teeth.

"No, you didn't and she didn't ask you either.  It just happened.  You're a good man despite what people say or think.  You are the best thing that's happened to that girl, and me for that matter."  His face softened for a moment, allowing the anger to slip away but it was back too fast.

"Then you better get away from me now because it seems like anything that matters to me gets hurt or dies."  His voice was filled with a rage so intense it made Skye back off a little.  "First it was Carolyn, gave her life for me and she died.  Now Jack might die.  Who's to say what will happen to you."  He started off down the hall and Skye ran in front of him, desperate to stop him.  Putting her hands on his chest, she pushed as hard as she could only moving him a little.  That was a dangerous thing to do to Richard B. Riddick but at this point she didn't care and she was no longer afraid of the animal.  She was going to make him realize that he was human and that it wasn't always this awful.  Maybe her motives her selfish, wanting him to care because it meant caring about her.

"Listen to me!" she yelled as she pushed him again.  "Right now, whether you like it or not, you are Jack's only family and if you walk out on her you'll be nothing but a coward."  Her words seemed to anger him more but she continued.  "She'll be alone and I don't think she can handle that."  Riddick didn't want his rage to take precedence over his actions so he backed away from her, not wanting to hurt her.  "You've been to hell and back with that girl and I can't think of anything that brings two people closer together than that."  She took a step towards him and he took a step back.  He looked like a caged animal, looking for a way to escape.  She carefully watched his body for any indication that he would take off and which direction he would go.

With shocking speed, Riddick turned a punched a hole, clean through the wall.  Skye jumped at his sudden aggressive action but moved quickly to him.  She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek on his shoulder blade.

"Stay with me Riddick."  She tried to make it sound soothing but it came out shaky.  "Put the beast away and come back to me.  We'll get through this.  I won't leave you."  Riddick put both hands on the wall and let his chin drop to his chest.  Skye kept a tight grip on him and listened to his breathing.  It came out in short harsh gasps.  "Family," she whispered.  Riddick turned around as if to leave but Skye used all her strength and managed to pull him back against her.  Not thinking she'd have more power than him made her stumble back and slam into the wall taking him with her.  His emotional distress made him weak but Skye hadn't factored that in.

She felt a little dazed as the back of her head hit the wall but surprisingly; she still had her arms around Riddick's waist.  A deep feral roar escaped his mouth, echoing through the halls making anyone who could hear it stop dead in their tracks.

Skye was afraid again.  Afraid that she was no match for the beast and this was one fight she wouldn't win.  As those thoughts flooded her head she felt Riddick's muscles relax.  She slid down the wall pulling him with her.  Sitting on the floor he leaned heavily against her, still breathing hard.  Moving her arms from around his waist, she wrapped them around his shoulders, pressing her cheek to his.  She ran a hand from his head down his cheek to his neck and repeated the process.

"I'm here baby, I'm here."  Now her voice actually came out soft and soothing.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.  "I would never leave."

"I know you wouldn't."  Skye breathed a sigh of relief as the tears fell.  "It's gonna be okay."

************************************************************************

Raven made her way back to the waiting room at almost a run.  Dodging people as she went and ignoring the rude comments.  When she got to the waiting room it took her a second to find Skye and Riddick.  Her eyes were drawn to the hole in the wall first then they traveled down to the floor.

Skye was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed; Riddick was on his side lying between her legs with his cheek resting on her thigh.  She was stroking his shoulder and arm with one hand and his head with the other.

Raven noticed how exhausted they both looked and looking again at the hole in the wall; she didn't want to know.  Instead of asking she pushed through the doors to find out what was going on and if she could help.

************************************************************************ 

Skye wasn't aware of Raven's presence, only Riddick's and that's because she was touching him.  Keeping her eyes closed she tried to feel out Jack but she couldn't.  At first she thought it was because she was dead and panic started to rise in her throat.  She pushed it back down and tried to concentrate on Eric but couldn't find him either.  Something was wrong but the dull ache in her head made her not want to find out what it was.  Instead she tried to relax into the wall, thinking about Riddick's reaction to the whole Jack situation.  It scared him to care but his good side won that battle at least this _one battle.  Jack was so lucky to have this man in her life to protect her and love her.  Even though he's never said it, Skye knew that's what he was feeling._

"What I would give to be a part of your family."  She didn't realize she said it out loud and nearly jumped when Riddick responded.

"You are."  The deep rumble of his voice brought tears to her eyes but they didn't have a chance to fall.  A doctor in green scrubs walked through the doors.  Riddick jumped up so fast the doctor stopped in surprise causing Raven to run into him.

"Are you two with the young lady and the baby?" he asked as Raven stepped around him.

"Yes," Skye said, slowly standing and joining Riddick.

"The C-Section went fine and she's resting right now."  His gaze moved behind them to the whole in the wall.  He looked like he might comment on it but Skye cut him off.

"Can we see her?" she asked quickly.

"Let her get some rest.  She's been through a lot but you can see her baby if you want."

"Okay," she said, eagerly, grabbing Riddick's hand following the doctor and Raven.

"We've checked the baby over and everything seems to be fine.  Very healthy."  Raven fell back from the doctor and put and arm around Skye.

"Everything's gonna be fine."  She spoke so both of them could hear.

"Here it is," the doctor said, stopping outside a door.  Skye went in first followed by Raven and Riddick.  There was a nurse tending to a small bundle in a small bed and she looked up when they came in.  She gave them a warm smile and motioned them over.  Skye quickly took the few steps to the bed and peered in.

"What'd she have?" Skye asked.

"A girl."  The nurse removed the blanket revealing the most perfect little baby.

"Oh, she's so cute."  Skye reached out to touch her.  "Can I?" she asked the nurse.

"Of course."  Skye carefully picked up the baby, making soft cooing noises.  Cradling the baby in her arms she turned so Raven could see.  "Look how cute."

"She's so sweet," Raven said, touching the baby's soft little cheek.  The baby opened her eyes and looked between the two women, probably trying to figure out which one mommy was.

"Riddick, look."  Skye turned around to show him and noticed he was still standing near the door.  She walked over to him even though he looked a little nervous.  He moved his goggles to his forehead to get a better look.

"Looks like Jack," he finally said.  Skye smiled and looked at the baby again.

"She does," she agreed.  "Has Jack seen her baby?" she asked, looking back at the nurse.

"No, she's still out.  We're going to watch the baby here until she wakes up," the nurse explained and Skye nodded.  Riddick didn't make a move closer so Skye took the baby back to the bed.  Raven noticed again just how tired Skye looked and Riddick looked liked he'd been through enough for one day.

"Hey, you guys look whipped.  I'll stay here with the baby.  You two look like you could use some time alone."  Raven started moving Skye towards the door.  "I got a room after I was done with security so take my key and go relax."  Skye looked a little reluctant.  "I promise I'll let you know if anything happens."

"All right," Skye said.  Riddick already had the door open and was waiting.  Skye took one last look at the baby, gave Raven a quick hug, and followed Riddick to Raven's room.

**** Sorry it took so long to get this out.  I was in the middle of remodeling my house so I could move into it.  Anyway, Riddick and Skye have some alone time and their own room.  Wonder what happens.  Oh and thanks for the suggestions on the baby names.  Read and Review!


	16. Chapter 16

WARNING: This chapter should probably be rated NC-17.  Finally some action.  I always have a hard time writing scenes like this so please read it and send a review, tell me if it's any good.  Thanks to everyone. =)

The walk to Raven's room was quiet, whether it was because they really _were tired or the past events had done a number on them.  Skye rubbed the back of her head where it had come into fierce contact with the wall.  It wasn't hurting much any more unless it was touched but her mind was still fuzzy and her 'sense' was out of whack.  She didn't notice Riddick had stopped until she was halfway down the hall.  Turning around to see where he was she saw the look on his face.  His goggles were still on his forehead and Skye could see something flickering in his eyes.  He looked almost sad._

"Riddick, what's wrong?"  He looked to the ground but quickly met her gaze again.

"I hurt you."  Kind of a question but more of a comment.  Skye realized that Riddick had seen her rubbing her head.

"It's not your fault.  Don't worry."  Skye really didn't blame him and she hoped it sounded that way.  Riddick shook his head as he made his way to her.

"Someone always gets hurt," he mumbled as he walked past her.  Skye didn't know what to say and she figured if she did, it wouldn't make much of a difference.  She followed him but kept her distance, counting down the room numbers as she went.  Raven's room was coming up.

"Riddick, the next room is Raven's," she called out but he didn't slow and passed right by.  "Oh no you don't."  She ran to catch up to him, grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the room.  There wasn't much resistance on his part.  "We need to talk."  She decided right then and there that she was going to lay it all out on the table.  He needed to know what she was feeling and more than anything; she needed to know what he was feeling.

Once in the room Riddick went right to the table and sat heavily in the chair.  Skye took a deep breath and moved the other chair in front of him and sat down.  He wouldn't meet her eyes but she'd give him that for now.

"Riddick," she started in a soft tone.  "Life sucks as I'm sure you know but it's not all bad.  Maybe it'd be easier to deal with if it was but it's not.  I know you're feeling things you haven't had to in a long time and I also know that you don't want to but you're not locked up in Slam anymore so I think it's time to deal with it."  Riddick took off his goggles the rest of the way and gently set them on the table.  Skye was startled to see his anger was more in check than she thought it would be.  "I'm having to deal with feelings I've never had to before so I know how hard it is."  Riddick finally looked up, his shine catching the dim light sending a rainbow of colors flashing in his eyes.

"What feelings?" he asked curiously.  Skye swallowed hard.

"My feelings for you."  It was her turn to look away.  "I have no experience with men and I've never been told how it's supposed to be…"

"Could've fooled me," Riddick cut in.  The way she kissed and moved against him screamed experience.  Skye detected a strange tone in his voice as if he didn't believe her.

"Look, every time you're around, my body starts reacting and I can't breathe.  My body knows what it wants so it goes for it but my mind is always one step behind and it's a little scary.  My mind is usually the faster of the two."  Riddick leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.  Skye took a deep breath before continuing, trying to keep up her courage.  "You're the only one I really trust, the only one I truly feel safe with.  I feel so connected with you that when you're too far away, I feel pain," she put a hand over her heart, "right here." Riddick shifted a little making Skye hesitate.  She couldn't read him at all and that was frustrating but she was almost through with her little speech so she continued.  "I respect you, I admire you…" she paused and dared to look him straight in his eyes.  "I love you."

Riddick sat there unmoving, staring right back at her.  It was all out now and she waited for a reaction.  At this point she would take any kind of reaction.  She couldn't hold this weight on her shoulders anymore; she just needed to know either way, good or bad.

Skye's words slammed into Riddick but instead of knocking him back, they froze him in place.  His heart pounded painfully against the restraints of his ribs as he tried to make sense of the sudden feeling of emotion that washed over him.  Riddick has never heard those words directed to him before and he assumed if he had, he would feel nothing but he was wrong.  A warmth slowly spread through his body as a flutter started in the pit of his stomach.  He wasn't going to fight it but he didn't know how to go along with it either.

As the temperature of his body sky-rocketed, he stood up.  Skye leaned back in her chair looking unsure of herself suddenly regretting telling him anything.

"You know, I shouldn't have said that.  I'm sorry."  Skye got up and started to move away from him but Riddick grabbed her by the arm and pulled her flush with his body.  She let out a breath of surprise as his lips covered hers.  Now she was glad she told him everything.

The heat from his mouth flooded hers and quickly moved through the rest of her body.  Tears she had been holding back finally broke through and slid unhindered down her cheeks.  Riddick's hands moved over her back progressing lower until he tasted her tears.  He pulled back and saw that she was crying.  Fresh tears glittered on her eyelashes before being set free.  Riddick gently wiped them away with his thumbs and smiled at her.  A genuine smile full of feeling and emotion.

He moved in again and kissed her deeply, moving his lips over hers, playing with her tongue with his own eager tongue.  She moaned quietly as her hands traveled up his chest.  Her tears were forgotten as the tingle started up between her thighs.  Skye pushed into him making him take a step back and continued pushing until Riddick's back hit the wall.  He liked her aggressiveness and that made him bring the kiss to a more intense level; feeling her sway in his arms.

Riddick's soft lips moved from her mouth and burned a wet path over her jaw and down her neck.  She gripped his shirt as he nibbled his way to the sensitive spot.  Gently sucking, Riddick got the response he was looking for.  Skye moved her body against his encouraging parts of him to stand at attention.  Immediately noticing, Skye let one of her hands drift down his chest, raking her nails over the muscles of his stomach and squeezed into the very little space between them to work him up a little more.  As her hand ran up his hardened length Riddick bit down on her neck.  Skye cried out in pleasure and gripped him hard, which made him pull back.

His eyes were slightly glazed over as he watched her.  She didn't remove her hand and started stroking him through his pants.  Skye looked over his features slowly, mesmerized by the slightest expressions he made as her hand worked him.  He licked his lower lip; drawing her attention to it and sending an electric shiver right to the core of her.  Riddick's head rested back against the wall as he tried to control his breathing.  Skye rested her cheek on his chest and listened to the pounding of his heart.  She wasn't sure she could restrain herself anymore; her body wanted him so bad so she just let it take over.  As usual her mind was one step behind but was enjoying it all the same.

Pulling back and releasing him, she put a little distance between them.  Riddick moved from the wall looking a little disappointed but a smile formed on his lips when he noticed Skye reaching for the hem of her shirt.  This time she wasn't nervous when she pulled the shirt over her head.  She was wearing a bra this time but it didn't stop his eyes from wandering over her body.  Riddick copied her movement and took his shirt off.  They both stood and admired each other for a moment.

Hooking her fingers in the waist of her pants, Skye slowly pulled the material down over her hips, past her thighs, and to the floor.  Riddick watched as she kicked off her shoes and stepped away from her clothes.  It took all his effort to stand still; the sight of her skin was bringing out the animal.  His breathing was harsh and shallow as he decided to let her govern the pace.  If he did it his way, it would be over by now.

Riddick kicked his own shoes off and took a tentative step forward and when Skye stood her ground, he took another.  Skye watched Riddick move noting how sleek and graceful he was. 'Spotting his prey, the predator moves with slow and deliberate steps, timing his attack with precision'.  She almost laughed at the thought but it turned her on, big time.

Riddick moved up to her until they were almost touching.  He couldn't believe how much control he was in considering her scent had filled him completely.  Breathing heavy and trembling all over, Skye reached up and placed the palm of her hand over his heart.  The beat was fast and steady, thumping against her hand.  Without realizing Riddick had moved, she felt his hands caress her hips, tickling lightly then resting heavily on them.  Skye's free hand joined her other and began exploring his chest and shoulders.  His muscles flexed underneath his skin as she touched him, bringing out the animal in her.

Sliding her arms around his neck, she pulled him to her lips and kissed him with a newfound hunger.  He tasted so good, so sweet and warm.  Her senses fired to life and touching or not, she could feel him all over, inside and out, in her mind and soul.

Riddick's fingers followed the line of her panties around to the back and slipped beneath them.  As she sighed and kissed him deeper, her left hand moved down his arm, feeling his soft skin all the way to his wrist.  Gripping firmly she moved his hand up to the hooks of her bra.  Riddick pulled back enough to talk when he realized what she wanted.

"You sure?" he asked, his voice deep and husky.

"Yea," she breathed.  With his one hand and a quickness Skye wasn't expecting, Riddick had unhooked her bra.  The straps slid teasingly slow down her arms and dropped to the floor.  Skye wrapped her arms around him again and pressed her body to his, her nipples tightening when her skin touched his skin.  Their lips caressed each other but they didn't kiss only adding to the intensity of the situation.

Skye found his wrists again and guided them back down to her hips, urging him to remove her panties.  With a growl deep in his chest, he pulled them down until they dropped to the floor.

"Looks like you're still a little over-dressed," Skye purred against his neck.  "Want some help?"  Without waiting for an answer she dipped her fingers into his pants and pulled him to the bed, popping the button and opening the zipper on the way.  His pants fell to the floor and he kicked out of them as Skye fell back onto the bed.  Cocking an eyebrow as she looked over his naked form, she smiled.  "I had my thoughts on…" she trailed off, her gazed focused on his erection.  "But that's impressive."

Like a big cat, Riddick crawled up to her, trailing a hand up her leg as he moved, eyes watching wherever his hand touched.  He planted little kisses up her stomach and stopped on the nearest nipple, teasing it with his tongue.  Skye arched up to him forcing her nipple into his mouth.  He held the hardened peak between his teeth and sucked rougher than he had the first time he had done it on Eric's ship, causing her to gasp and moan.  Reluctantly releasing her sweet skin, Riddick moved up the bed and looked her in the eyes.

"Tell me what you want, Skye."  His voice was like a wave of pleasure washing over her.

"Touch me," she whispered.

"Where?" he asked, wanting her to tell him specifics.  Skye found his hand and moved it down her body, slipping it between her legs.

"Here," she whispered again.  Riddick kissed her neck trying to distract himself from the sudden sensation that stabbed through his groin at feeling how hot she was.  He turned his barely contained moan into a question.

"Here?" he asked keeping his hand where she had put it.  "Or here?"  He slipped a finger between her silky folds and came in contact with her swollen clit.  Skye's body jumped at the new feeling his fingers created.

"Yea, there," she gasped.  Riddick smiled against her neck.  He knew a man had never touched her like this before and he was about to show her what she had been missing out on.  Moving his fingers slowly, her body began to writhe with the rhythm he created.  He kept his lips against her neck feeling her blood pulsing through her veins, his own blood running hot.

It took Skye a second to realize Riddick had moved his hand from her and rolled on top, leaning most of his weight on his arms.  No man has gotten this far with her and she was suddenly afraid.  He noticed the look and hesitated.

"You all right?" he asked gently.  "We don't have to."  Skye shook her head.

"No, I want to, I'm just nervous you know, about it hurting."  Riddick lowered his body to hers and kissed her.

"I'll be careful but it still might hurt," he said pulling back.  "You still want to?"  Skye saw concern flash in his eyes.

"If doing this is gonna hurt regardless of how careful you are, I want it to be you that does it."  Riddick felt his manhood twitch at her acceptance to all this. 

"You tell me if you need me to stop and I will."  Skye nodded in understanding, pulling him close and kissing him deeply.  She scratched her nails down his body and spread her legs as she went.  Riddick positioned his body between her thighs just as she grabbed him.  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as she stroked him.  Skye was amazed by the way he felt, so hard and thick in her hand.  It intrigued her that she could get that kind of reaction out of a man.

Riddick's eyes fluttered open when he felt a strong stirring in his groin.  Taking her hand from him, he placed it on his chest.

"Do you feel my heart?" he asked.  Skye nodded, pressing her hand to his chest.  "You're the first who has."  Her eyes went from her hand on his chest to his eyes.  The silver glow was trained on her almost asking permission.

Arching her back, bringing the wet heat between her legs into contact with his hard steel, they both inhaled sharply at the same time.  A sleek smile spread over his beautiful lips as he reached down to see if she was ready and he nearly lost it when he felt just how ready she was.  Moving as slowly as his body would allow, Riddick slid into her, feeling her tense with every push.  Her breathing was coming out quick but it wasn't from pleasure and the pained expression she wore put Riddick in motion.

Wrapping an arm around her he rolled to his back, taking Skye with him in an effort to ease the pressure.  She kept her hand over his heart and snuggled into his neck.

"Better?" he asked in a voice that was husky and filled with extreme desire.

"Uh-huh," she managed to say.  Her eyes were filling with tears from the pain and she did her best to hold it back.  "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, take your time."  His body contradicted his words as his cock pulsed almost painfully inside her, trying to resist the urge to pull out and push back in.

Skye kissed her way up his neck to his lips, the pain easing away and turning into a steady delicious throb between her legs.  Their tongues played a game of give and take and she just realized how good he was at this kissing thing.  He expertly sucked on her tongue bringing her closer to climax then she'd ever been.

"Riddick, I'm close," she cried out, pulling away from him.  'Wow' he thought as he rolled them back over and pulled almost all the way out before pushing back in.  There was little resistance now and pleasure waves washed over them both.  "Oh, God!" 

Amazingly enough, Riddick was close himself.  He slowed his movements as Skye wrapped her legs around him, noticing her hand was still over his heart.  It was then that he finally understood what she was talking about earlier.  Her connection with him was mutual.  He knew every move she would make, just how close she was to climax, exactly where she wanted to be touched, and what she thought of him.  Just like she had her 'sense', he, in a way had a 'sense' when it came to her.

He angled his movements to increase the pressure on her clit which proved to be exactly what she wanted.

"Oh my God!" she screamed as she threw her head back.  Her vision swam as the first indications of her release swept through her belly.  Riddick felt a sudden rush of wetness between her legs as he moved.  He placed a hand over her heart and leaned in close.

"Come for me baby," he purred.  Just the sound of his voice and those words was all she needed to let go.  He kept up the slow and steady pace, pushing hard against her on the in-stroke.  Skye tensed in his arms and held her breath.  'That's it, baby' he thought as she tightened even more around his cock.  After a few seconds, Skye let out the breath she was holding and gasped for air as her body shook with a very powerful orgasm.

"Riddi…" was all she could get out.  It was the attempt at his name in the throes of release and her spasms that pushed him over the edge.  With a violent jerk his hot seed was sent deep inside her and after what seemed like forever, he collapsed on top of her in exhaustion, both physically and emotionally.

Skye wrapped her arms around him and held him close, listening to his breathing as it slowed down, running her hands over his back and shoulders.  He let out a contented sigh and kissed her on the neck, slow and lazy like.

"Mmmm, Riddick that was…" she started.

"Yea, it was."  Knowing what she was thinking made him feel strange.  He slipped out of her and rolled to his back.  Skye propped up on her elbow and moved up to his side.  She watched him carefully, trying to figure out what he was feeling.

Riddick's eyes were closed and his breathing was back to normal.  He looked so peaceful and relaxed that Skye just watched him.  She wanted to ask if the sex was as good for him as it was for her but she didn't.

"Don't worry Skye," the sound of his voice startling her.  "It was great," he finished.  Riddick's head rolled to the side and he opened his eyes just enough to see her.  Skye's mouth dropped open as he spoke.  It was like he had read her mind, which he more or less did.  He gave her a sleepy smile and she returned it before kissing him on the lips.  Resting her head on his shoulder, her hand once again on his heart; Riddick wrapped her in the safety of his arms and they both drifted off to a dreamless sleep. 


	17. Chapter 17

****Sorry this took so long to get out but here it is.  A little more sex in this chapter so beware.  This is my warning to those who don't read that kind of stuff.  Please READ and REVIEW. =)

Skye woke with a start for no apparent reason and looked around the room.  She was a little confused but everything slowly came back to her.  The clock told her she'd been asleep for about three hours and when she remembered who she fell asleep with, she rolled over only to discover he was gone.

She ran a hand over the smooth, now cold sheets.  Riddick had been gone for awhile.  Skye's head hurt a little as she sat up, probably from when she had hit it but things were much clearer than before.

As she dressed the events of the past few months of her life ran through her head like watching a movie.  So much had happened in such a short time and she had changed a lot.  She felt older than her 24 years.

A familiar scent brought her back to the now.  Taking a deep breath to locate the smell she discovered it was all around her.  It was Riddick.  She could smell him on her skin, in her clothes, and she could still taste him on her lips.  A sudden overwhelming feeling of emotion ran through her veins making her need to sit down and catch her breath.  Just thinking of Riddick made her feel warm and good and she couldn't imagine not being with him.

These kinds of thoughts clouded her mind which wasn't good if she wanted to remain on her toes.  But the mission was over, wasn't it?  Somehow she knew they weren't through yet.

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Riddick was with Jack and that's where Skye was headed.  On her way she nearly ran head on into the nurse that had been with Jack earlier and she was pushing a little hospital crib.

"Hi," Skye greeted her.  The nurse smiled and returned the greeting.  "How's Jack doing?"

"Everything's going well.  She's awake now and was asking to see her baby."  Skye felt relieved.  Just a few more things to go right and they were all in the clear.  "Are you going to see her?"

"Yea, I'm on my way there now," Skye answered, eyeing the quiet little bundle.

"Would you like to take the baby with you?" the nurse asked removing the blanket so Skye could see inside.

"Is that her?" she asked, leaning closer.  "She looks different than the last time I saw her."

"That's her all right.  Baby's often look different a few hours after birth."  The nurse put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.  "If you need anything just buzz the front desk."  Skye nodded and the nurse left the baby in her capable hands.  She couldn't wait to see the look on Jack's face when she sees her baby for the first time.

Skye noticed upon entering that Jack looked pale and tired but her eyes were clear and alert, the sparkle having returned.  Both Jack and Riddick both turned to the door as she entered.

"There's someone who wants to see you, Jack," Skye said, cheerily as she picked up the baby and walked to the bedside.  Jack's eyes lit up even more and she held out her arms.  Emotions were running strong and she couldn't say anything, just took the baby in her arms and cried.  Skye tried hard to hold back her own tears but they came anyway.

Riddick silently got up from his chair and stepped up behind Skye and puts his hands on her hips.  She jumped a little but quickly settled back into him.  Wiping away her tears and clearing her throat Skye got her feelings under control enough to speak.

"So, are you going to tell us the name you've picked out?" Skye asked in a shaky voice.  She felt Riddick's grip on her hips tighten as if to remind her that he was there for her.  Jack reluctantly looked up from her baby and met Skye's eyes.

"I was thinking…" she trailed off and looked over Skye's shoulder to Riddick.  "I think I'll name her Carolyn."  The tears slipped down her cheeks but she didn't look away from him.  "What do you think?" she asked warily.  Riddick stepped around Skye and sat on the edge of the bed not breaking eye contact with Jack.  He wiped her tears away and smiled.

"Sounds good to me, kid," he said, his voice was touched with a little emotion and Skye couldn't stop her hand from reaching out and touching his shoulder.  For a few seconds no one moved.  The connection between the four had grown so strong she couldn't help but wonder how it all had happened.

The baby's tinny cries broke the spell and Jack laughed.

"I think I'll call her Carrie for short."

"And it sounds like Carrie is hungry," Skye said.  Jack looked at her in slight alarm.

"What do I do?" she asked.

"Um," Skye started, looking over at Riddick.  He shook his head and gave her a look that said 'not my department'.  "Are you going to breastfeed?" 

"I would like to," Jack said hopefully.

"Okay, I'll go get the nurse and she'll show you what to do."  Skye felt a little flustered as she went in search of a nurse.  This wasn't necessarily her department either.  She knew certain things about babies by pure instinct but this was something she felt Jack should learn from someone more knowledgeable on the subject.

When the nurse came in to talk to Jack, Riddick pulled Skye out into the hall.

"Looks like you know about as much as I do about kids," Riddick said with a smile.

"Well, I think I know a little more than you but the closest thing I know about breastfeeding is what you were doing to me a few hours ago and I don't think that is how it should be done, you know."  Riddick's smile almost turned animal.

"You saying I need more practice?" he asked as he backed her into the wall, pressing his body to hers.

"Sounds about right," she replied, pressing back into him.  Riddick put his hands on the wall blocking her in, not that she was going anywhere.  Her body began to respond to his and her skin started to tingle all over.  He teased her by moving away slightly ever time she moved in to kiss him.  It was frustrating but it managed to make her panties damp.  Riddick didn't over do the teasing; he let her catch his lips a little more with each attempt until they were in a full blown kiss.

Skye's hands moved down his sides to his hips and then slid around to the back, pulling him closer.  He growled out his approval and kissed her harder

Skye was completely lost in the moment until she heard someone clearing their throat.  She pulled back and realized they were standing in the hall where anyone could see them.  Riddick casually looked towards the cause of the disturbance, not even caring that they had an audience.

It was Raven and she was standing near the end of the hall with a smile on her face.

"You guys sleep well?" she asked as she approached them.

"If that's what you wanna call it," Riddick said with his own sly smile.  "Then yea, we did sleep well."  Skye tried to shake off the embarrassment she was feeling but the blush gave her away.

"Did you want your room back?" Skye asked sheepishly.  "I guess we lost track of time."

"No, I got another one.  You guys can keep it."  Pointing over her shoulder she continued, "The team is meeting to go over a few things, so now that I've found you, let's go."

"Let me tell Jack what's going on," Skye said as she walked back to Jack's door.  Riddick and Raven were silent but it was a comfortable silence.  She tilted her head slightly and gave him a small smile and what amazed her was that he returned it.

When Skye had come back they headed off to the meeting, following Raven through a series of hallways that twisted left and right to the point where Skye had to wonder if it was set up this way just to confuse people.

"Hey Rave, I don't know how you're doin' this, but even _I'm lost," Skye said._

"Oh, I'm lost.  I just didn't want to say anything," Raven said, looking over her shoulder at them.  Riddick and Skye exchanged glances.  "See that door up there?" she asked, pointing ahead and to her right.

"Yea," Skye replied.

"That looks _kinda familiar."  Skye let out a laugh as Raven winked at her.  Riddick was shaking his head but he was smiling.  He draped an arm over Skye's shoulders without even really thinking about it and she slipped her arm around his waist as they continued to follow Raven through the maze._

************************************************************************

The team met in a small room with a few chairs, tables, and complete exhausted silence.  Skye's attention was drawn upward upon entering, to the unusual choice of ceiling tile.  A checkerboard pattern of metal and mirrored tiles covered the expanse of the room, making it look colder than it really was.

"Okay," Eric started.  "Virus delivered, mission complete."  There were sighs of relief throughout the group.  "We need to hang out for a few more days while they do some repairs on the ship and restock, then we can jump over to Phallon and they can arrange transport for wherever you guys want to go."  As soon as Eric had started talking, Skye looked at him strangely.  He sounded as if he was reading from a script.

She approached him as he spoke and leaned against one of the tables directly across from him.

"Eric," she said quietly.  "What's goin' on?"  Riddick had been about to ask the same question.  Now the others looked interested.

Eric looked at each of them, trying to keep the smile on his face.  He sat in one of the chairs and kicked back, attempting to look comfortable.

"See anything unusual?"  He spoke in a low whisper, not even breaking his fake smile.  "Or should I say _feel anything unusual?"_

Skye slowly looked around the room not wanting to look obvious that she was.  Riddick was doing the same behind the concealment of his goggles.  Raven and Kyle looked to Eric and Skye in confusion.  It didn't take long for Skye to figure out what he was talking about.

Behind her and to the left, in the ceiling tile at the corner of the room, was a camera.  Effectively hidden behind the two way mirrored tiles that made up most of the room.  She couldn't see it but she knew it was there but how did Eric know.

Stretching and moving away from the table, Skye casually walked over to the wall behind her and leaned against it.  Taking a peak at the tile from a closer point, she found that she still couldn't see it.  Riddick followed her with his eyes quickly catching on as well.  They were being watched and probably listened to.  But this was a big company dealing with dangerous chemicals and even more dangerous competition.  It wasn't unlikely for them to have heightened security.

"Let's go eat," Riddick said suddenly.  They all turned to him but didn't question how out of character his statement was.  If Riddick suggested something, even if it did sound a little off, they all trusted him enough to just go with it.  So they silently followed him out of the room and to the mess hall.

There were still cameras in the mess hall but the amount of people present created enough sound to block out their conversation and eating certainly wouldn't draw any suspicions.

"So, what's up?" Raven asked once they were seated with their food.

"We're being watched so we're just being careful," Skye answered.

"Why is that unusual?" Raven asked through a bite of food.

"Normally it's not.  But given our situation with Jack and Bi-Lines, we're just watching our backs until we can get out of here.  Until then, don't talk about anything that happened or even where you're going when this is over," Eric stated before turning his attention back on his food.

A blanket of silence settled over the group as they thought about their situation, each trying to decide what should be done next.

"Three days guys.  We can handle it.  We've been through worse," Eric said as kind of an after thought.  Kyle grunted at his comment.

"Have we?" he asked.  "We don't even know what we might have to deal with.  I prefer to see my enemy coming right at me."

"I think we all do but has that ever happened?"  Raven asked.  Skye was half listening to them but her attention was on Riddick.  He hadn't said a word since they left their meeting room, but for him that wasn't unusual.  Calmly he ate, observed others, listened to the conversation and she could almost see his brain working over every scenario he could come up with.

The way he looked to her now was like when she had first met him.  Relaxed yet ready.  The calm, cool, intelligent animal was at work and Skye felt relieved that the new emotions he had been experiencing weren't going to affect him.

"Look, take these three days as a chance to relax but don't let your guard down."  It sounded as if Eric was trying to convince himself.

"I'll have them move Jack and the baby to my room.  Kyle, you stay with Eric and I'm sure you'll want to stay with Riddick?"  Raven said as she turned to Skye.

"Yea, that's fine," Skye said without looking away from Riddick.  He was watching her too.  Her gaze traveled down to his lips, lingering on their fullness before moving down to his chest.  She knew he was aware of her staring but she wanted him to know, her body suddenly feeling hot as she ached for him.

"Okay…" Raven said slowly, noticing the change in Skye.  "Why don't you two go _chill…and we'll handle the rest."  Riddick immediately stood up, grabbed Skye's hand and pulled her out of her chair.  He stalked towards the door with Skye in tow.  She looked back at her team in time to see them all giving her the thumbs up._

It was quite a walk back to their room and Riddick couldn't keep his hands off her.  He touched anything he could.  Her shoulder, ass, arms, hips, and he would occasionally engulf her in his arms and kiss her passionately until she was gasping for air.

After a dozen kisses and his increasing intensity with his touching, they made it to their room all worked up and breathing their desire in each other's ear.  They were tangled in another embrace before the door even had a chance to slide shut.

Riddick slipped a hand up her shirt and held her breast firmly in his hand as she worked on getting his pants off.  Their lips never parted as they attempted to get undressed.  A frenzied lust left them uncoordinated and still fully clothed.

Skye managed to pop the top button and slipped her hand inside, but just as she wrapped her fingers around his smooth hardened erection, Riddick turned her around and pushed her to the wall.  The cold steel was such a contrast to Riddick's warm body that her nipples became instantly erect.

Riddick stepped up behind her and pressed his body to hers, letting her feel every part of him, waiting to feel her move with the want and desire he could smell.  It didn't take her long to respond to him and she pushed back hard, trying to let him know he could take what he wanted.  He controlled his breathing at her obvious sign of welcome but he wanted to push it a little more.

Moving the hair away from her neck, Riddick began a slow torture with his experienced lips, lightly touching them to her shoulder, feeling her heated skin prickle with goose-bumps as he dragged them up her neck.  When he reached her ear he spoke in a deep voice tinged with lust.

"You want me Skye?" he breathed the question in her ear, making her shiver.

"Yes," she gasped, resisting the urge to give in to her needs and turn around.  Riddick gripped the sides of her pants and pulled them down to her knees.  Caressing her bare thigh he danced his fingers around to the front and slipped his hand between her legs as he fumbled briefly with his own zipper.

Skye let out a long deep moan as he played with her.  She was extremely wet and ready for him, wanting him so bad it was all that ran through her head.

"Please, Riddick," she pleaded as she leaned her head back to rest on his shoulder.  He quickly freed himself from his pants and in one swift move, was buried deep inside her.  She cried out in pleasure and let her head drop forward.

Skye put her hands flat on the wall for support as he moved inside her.  Once in a comfortable position, he covered her hands with his and laced their fingers together.

The room was filled with sounds of their heavy breathing and the slapping of his muscular thighs against hers.  Riddick pulled one of Skye's hands away from the wall and put in between her legs.  He knew she needed stimulation and that didn't come from experience, it came form the fact that he could feel what her mind and body needed.  His own sense was tuned in to her.

Skye could feel Riddick sliding in and out of her as she explored with her fingers.  The sensation brought on that familiar tingle which she coaxed into a full blown orgasm that she could feel all the way to her toes.  Before she could come down she felt a change in Riddick's movements and tried to remain still on legs that threatened to give out.

With a hard deep thrust, Riddick gave in to his release and came inside her, growling low in his chest.  His orgasm was more powerful than the first time they were together, leaving him twitching against her, trying to catch his breath.  The blood surged through his body making him light-headed so he rested his forehead on Skye's shoulder and wrapped an arm around her waist.

She could tell he wasn't through yet.  His body hummed with his continuing orgasm and he remained inside her as hard as when they first started.  She gently placed her hand on the back of his neck and waited patiently.

After a few minutes of standing there holding each other, Riddick eased his grip on her and slipped out.  Skye then turned to face him.  Sweat glistened on his face and ran down his neck, disappearing beneath his shirt.  Skye noticed he was still wearing his goggles so she carefully slipped them off.  He kept his eyes closed but not out of fear that the room would be too bright, it was something else.  He was breathing hard through his mouth and his forehead occasionally creased in thought.  Skye felt that something profound was happening here but it remained unseen.

"Let's go to bed," she whispered.  Riddick gave a slight nod and kicked weakly out of his shoes and pants.  Skye helped him pull his shirt over his head and toss it to the floor.  He opened his eyes, watchful of her every move but she wasn't aware.  The way she moved as she got undressed kept him captivated.  It was funny that something so simple could hold his attention but it wasn't necessarily her body that kept him looking, it was the feel of her body that he held in his memory, the heat, the way she smelled and tasted, the thoughts that ran through her mind.  Being connected so closely with someone else was so foreign to him that he had to stop and wonder what he was supposed to do with it.

A strange feeling tickled the back of Skye's mind and she looked up at him to see that he was looking back.  Although, she couldn't put a finger on what it was, she felt that she was on the verge of discovery.  Taking his hand she led him to the bed and watched as he climbed in, falling asleep the instant his head hit the pillow.  Skye crawled in next to him and looked him over.  Watching the steady rise and fall of his chest, the way his body became still and relaxed, and the smooth contours of his face.  No anger creased his brow and no smile graced his lips.  He was lost in a dream somewhere far from here.

Skye pulled the sheet up to his waist and settled back onto her pillow.  Sleep pulled at her senses but she fought it off.  Placing a hand gently on his chest, she could feel his heart thumping out a steady rhythm.  His breathing changed slightly when she touched him but quickly returned to normal.  Her eyes slowly started to close, thoughts becoming scattered as she was lulled into sleep by the beat of his heart.

Riddick and Skye shifted around in bed until they ended up in each others arms; their restless bodies seeking out the other for comfort.  Finally connected, their bodies were able to join their minds and rest.


	18. Chapter 18

Skye slowly came back to reality, stretching lazily like a cat, not even remembering if she had dreamed.  She already knew Riddick wouldn't still be in bed with her, she could feel it.

Sitting up and shaking her head she sighed, "One of these days I'm gonna wake up and you'll be here."  She spoke to the empty spot next to her.

Deciding on a shower, Skye gathered some clothes and stiffly headed to the bathroom.  She discovered how sore she was from their lovemaking just from her short walk to the shower.  All of her muscles ached and there was a dull throb between her legs.  She couldn't help smiling when she thought about how she got this sore.

The water pounded relentlessly over her, massaging away the pain.  She scrubbed herself clean, washed her hair, and took Eric's advice and relaxed.  The warmth of the water allowed her mind to wander and it took her places she would like to be.  Just like when she read her books.  She pretended she could feel the warmth of the sun on her shoulders and the grainy feeling of sand beneath her, the smell of the ocean as she breathed in, and the distant sound of waves crashing on the shore.

There really was a place like this but Skye had only read about it and listened as people describe it to her.  It was called Kilian, located in the Rylos sector.  A vacation spot of sorts and Skye wished she could be there right now with Riddick, Jack, and Carrie, all soaking up the sun, far away from any biohazard chemicals.

But no, right now she was in the shower on Marisphere…waiting.  But waiting for what?

Taking a deep breath, the ocean smell now gone, Skye turned off the water and stepped into the cool air of the bathroom.  She used her two minute dryer formula, bringing her curls back to life and dressed in a pair of black leather pants that rode low on her hips, a little strappy black tank top, and her usual black combat boots.  Looking in the mirror one last time, she smiled.  She felt good, looked good, and was feeling a little adventurous, so she decided to do a little exploring.

Skye stepped into the quiet hallway and cleared her mind.  She filtered through the images that popped up in her head that didn't have to do with the layout of Marisphere.  There were a lot of rooms and hallways but there weren't as many people on board as she first suspected.  

As she walked down the halls she discovered there were short cuts to certain areas, numerous entrances into other sections, but right now she was drawn to the lower decks.

Time had lost all meaning to her but she figured, with the dim lights a very few people she passed, that they must be in their night cycle.  All the better for her.

She wasn't nervous when she reached the elevator and she wasn't nervous as it slowly dropped her to the lowest level.  Her 'sense' was working and she knew there wouldn't be anybody waiting for her down there.  That alone should have made her nervous considering how strange it was.  A whole deck on this floating company with its tight security, highly profitable experiments, and very dangerous competition…empty?  The other thing that should have made her nervous was the fact that there weren't any security cameras down here.

Skye skipped through those thoughts as she stepped out into the hall.  The walls and floors were a brilliant white but with only half the lights on, it was tolerable.  She looked up at the glass ceiling and decided to make a right.  Walking confidently in long strides through another maze, Skye felt her mood about the place lighten, but that didn't last long.  The deeper she got, the slower her steps became, and the thicker the air felt.

An eerie feeling swept over her body as she rounded a corner.  That same feeling of being watched but not by eyes.  Kind of like how a snake can 'see' with its tongue by tasting the air.  Before she could analyze the feeling, a deep howl stopped her dead in her tracks and froze the blood in her veins.  The hair on the back of her neck stood up and she was positive, whatever made that sound was right behind her.

Slowly, she turned and looked over her shoulder.  Nothing was there.  Adrenaline surged through her, unfreezing her blood, readying her body for flight but she forced herself to calm down.  If she ran, she would panic, her 'sense' would be useless and that could prove to be fatal.

As slow as she had turned, Skye back-tracked the way she had come.  The only sound was the thudding of her boots on the grated floor and the pounding of her heart.  She froze again as another howl echoed through the halls, bouncing off the metal walls behind her.  It was not from the same thing that howled the first time.  This one was a little higher in pitch.  Her muscles twitched in anticipation but she held steady.  Pinpointing the location of the sound was impossible with the maze she was in.

The sound was unreal, shaking loose every logical thought in her head.  There was no animal that she knew of that could make that sound.  She couldn't think straight until the last of the echoing howl died down.

"What the hell was that?" she asked aloud.  Thinking fast and walking even faster, Skye headed for one of the doors she had passed when she first got off the elevator.  She had a feeling that what she needed to know would be in that room.

The howl never returned and by the time she reached the door her hands were shaking.  She keyed in the lock code as if she'd done it a million times and watched the door slide open.  The air inside was cold and damp bringing on a chill on top of the one she already had.

"Lights on," she said into the darkness.  Brilliant light bloomed from the ceiling tiles chasing the shadows into deeper corners.  She was in an office room.  Filing cabinets lined the wall on the left, a desk stood in the middle of the room cluttered with mountains of paper, and a wipe board, covered in sequences of numbers and mathematical problems hung on the wall on the right.  Skye ran to the first cabinet and yanked open the top drawer.  Scanning the contents, not really knowing what she was looking for but sure she'd know when she saw it.

Drawer after drawer gave her nothing but paper cuts.  "Come on, what are you hiding?"  In the middle of the files in the third cabinet she searched through, a notebook caught her eye.  She tilted her head so she could read what was written on the spine.  UNDISCLOSED DOCUMENTS: EXPERIMENT BATCH 147.  Skye pulled out the book and took it over to the desk, her pulse pounding painfully in her neck.  She desperately wanted to know what was in this book but at the same time was terrified.  Taking a breath, she flipped open the cover.

The first page was a lot of scientific talk so she skipped it and turned to the second page.  It was an index of some kind.  In large letters in read, HUMAN TESTING, and a list of subject numbers.  Skye's throat went dry and she had a hard time reading on.  The next one read, ANIMAL TESTING, also with a list of subject numbers.  Third said, COMBINATION TESTING.  As soon as she read that, she slammed the notebook shut and closed her eyes.  She tried to control her breathing and forced herself to open the notebook once more.

This time she skimmed over the first page, not wanting to venture past that.  In small print at the bottom of the page it read:  

_Continuous research and advances in chemicals have led to the improvement of our experiments.  Subjects have become smarter, faster, stronger, and bigger with each new test subject.  One thing lacking; growth rate.  We have changed our focus to improving growth time.  It seems the growth period for each subject lengthens with any added physical or mental attributes we force upon them._

Skye couldn't read anymore.  She kept seeing the word, force, and it made her stomach turn over.  The rest of the team needed to read this and she, more than anything, wanted to be close to Riddick.  He could keep her safe.

Her only problem was how she was going to get the book back to her room.  Looking left then right, behind and in front, seeking a way to conceal the book; Skye spotted a door near the one she came in.  Smiling when she opened it she saw some medical equipment and a few white lab coats.  She slipped into one of them and tucked the book under her arm and headed out the door.

Riddick was with Jack, Carrie, and Raven in Raven's room so she searched down Eric and Kyle and ushered them to the room.  This was the one place where there weren't any cameras; Marisphere seemed to have a little decency when it concerned the kind of privacy people would want in a bedroom.  And Skye couldn't pick up any electronic listening devices with her 'sense'.  Once inside and the door shut and locked, Skye turned to face them.  Before any of them could comment on her outfit she tossed the notebook on the table.

"We have a problem," she said, shrugging out of the lab coat and throwing it across the room.  She put her hands on her hips and looked at each of them.  They were waiting for her to continue.  "There's something else on this ship."

"Not again," Raven whined.


	19. Chapter 19

Eric picked up the book Skye had tossed on the table and began flipping through the pages.

"Where'd you get this?" he asked.

"I did a little exploring on the lower levels and it was in one of the rooms," she explained.

"So, Skye.  What is it that's here now?"  Raven asked ignoring the conversation Eric was having with Skye.

"I didn't see it but judging by the sound it… it could probably wipe out the entire crew all by itself.  But it's not by itself.  And from what I read," she pointed to Eric, "I believe I hit the nail right on the head."

"Yea you did," Eric said.  "Check this out."  Everyone gathered around to see the file.  "Subject #97 shows potential in intelligence, speed, and mobility.  Rate growth: 30 days," he read.  "Now look."  As he flipped through the pages Riddick stepped up next to Skye and slipped an arm around her waist.  He could feel the tension she was feeling and he only wished she had asked him to go with her to the lower levels.  Something down there freaked her out and it bothered him that she went alone.

"Subject #186 has tripled its levels in intelligence, speed, and mobility," he paused for a second, reading the page, "but growth rate increased to 45 days."

"So the better they make it, the longer it takes to actually make," Kyle said thoughtfully.

"Exactly."  Eric shut the book and ran a hand through his hair.  "What do you make of all this, Riddick?"  Riddick kept his tone low and even as he spoke.

"I think we need to get ahead of these assholes.  We need to know what they know.  Even if it is just to give us some leverage over them."  Eric nodded his head and looked to Skye.

"Skye, you've been out enough so I'll go wander around, see what I can see," Eric said standing up and walking to the door.  "Go about your normal business but keep your eyes and ears open," he added before disappearing through the door.

Skye moved to the bedroom door to check on Jack while the others sat there, thinking in silence.  Before she stepped in the room she looked back at Riddick, standing where she had left him.  She gave him a small smile, which he didn't return this time.  Their situation wasn't looking too wonderful right now and Riddick watched the smile fade from her face, as she understood what he was feeling.

Jack was asleep on the bed with the baby cradled in her arms, dressed in a pair of sweats that Raven had loaned her.  Skye crouched down beside the bed and looked at both of them, at how the baby looked even more like Jack than before.  They both slept peacefully, their love for each other keeping them safe and warm.

Skye brushed her hand over Jack's face and she immediately woke, startled at the presence in her room.  When her eyes focused on who was with her, she smiled.

"Skye," she said, sleepily.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Skye asked.  Jack looked down at her baby and her smile grew wider.

"I feel a lot better, tired though.  They said I should be completely healed in a few days," she said.

"Only a few days?" 

"Yea, the procedure they used on me allows my body to heal faster…or something like that."

"Is there anything you need?  Anything I can get for you?"  Skye asked.  Jack found Skye's hand and squeezed it.

"Raven brought me something to eat earlier so I'm okay.  I just need to sleep."  Skye smile and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead and then the baby's.

"Well, if you need something just holler, I'll be in the next room," she said, standing back up.

"I will.  Thanks."  Skye retreated silently from the room and nearly jumped out of her skin when she ran into Riddick who was standing right outside the door.

"You scared me," she said.

"How's she doing?" he asked quietly.

"She's okay.  I think she's falling right into motherhood very nicely," she said taking hold of his forearm and running her fingers down to his wrist and back up, feeling safe in his presence but she also felt a kind of coldness radiating off him.  Riddick looked on, un-phased so Skye stopped and stepped around him.  She took a seat at the table and slid the book over the slick surface to sit in front of her.  After swallowing down her disgust, she opened the book and started reading through the experiments.

Riddick didn't mean to come off cold the way he did but it was critical for him to stay focused.  But as he looked at her, the way she propped her chin in her hand, the serious look on her face as she read, and the way she absently licked her lips, got him hard.  'Down boy' he thought, 'Now's not the time'.

He decided to join her at the table and when she looked up she smiled again, but the smile never reached her eyes.  She looked sad and as he tuned in to her feelings, he felt her pain, her fear.  He had no idea what happened down there but he did know that it was eating at her more than she let on.  She was strong and he knew it but it didn't stop him from reaching out and taking her hand and she squeezed it gratefully.

************************************************************************  

Eric wasn't gone too long and when he came back he looked panicked.

"We are in deep shit," he said as soon as he walked through the door.  The others became instantly attentive.

"What?" Riddick's deep voice echoed through the room.

"Okay, I'm down in the loading bay just checkin' things out.  Not too many people were down there so I try to look inconspicuous.  Anyway, there's a group of people that just docked so I move a little closer, you know, just curious."  Riddick could feel Skye's impatience with Eric's rambling so he squeezed her hand.  "They start talkin' with Captain Garret, basic conversation crap but I don't hear it all.  Then I catch the Captain saying, 'Yea the girl's here and so is the baby."

"What!"  Skye cut in sharply.

"The guys that docked are from Bi-Lines," Eric said softly, "we were set up."

"Set up?" Raven jumped up.  "Why?"  Eric took a deep breath before continuing.

"Those experiments, as we all read, were lacking in the growth department.  And as we know, Bi-Lines came up with Estamyathine which accelerates growth as Jack's baby has proven."  Skye couldn't breathe as everything Eric said fell into place.  "So, Captain Garret negotiated with Bi-Lines to get their drug."

"Wait, wait, wait," Kyle cut in, waving his hands in the air. "If they negotiated, why were we sent in to steal it?"  'Very good question' Riddick thought even though he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"We weren't.  We were sent in to steal Deliatactin, the bio-chemical weapon they were getting ready to use.  But someone on the inside switched them out so we ended up with Estamyathine."

"Someone on the inside?"  Kyle asked.

"That's why it was too easy," Skye said as it all became clear.  "They were expecting us and they _wanted_ us to succeed."

"But that doesn't explain why we were hired to steal it," Kyle said, bringing back his original question.

"Liability, Kyle.  It's all about liability.  If these experiments ever come under question, Bi-Lines will no longer be held liable for any problems that drug causes because it was stolen," Eric explained.  Skye ran her hands over her eyes trying to block out everything.

"What about Marisphere and Captain Garret?" Raven asked.

"Marisphere is a competitor and no where in _their records do they have that drug listed.  The first thing to pop up in anyone's head would be that Marisphere stole the drug," he paused making sure he had their attention.  "Without witnesses…"_

"You mean us," Riddick said.

"Yes, us.  Without us, there's no proof."  As the reality of the situation came into light, the tension in the room increased drastically.

"Shit!" Skye yelled out in frustration, getting out her chair and pacing aimlessly around the room.

"You're right," Raven said calmly.  "We're in deep shit."  Riddick's mind was sent into overdrive and he felt the blood in his veins heat up as adrenaline surged through them.

"We gotta get outta here," Riddick said standing up.  "Eric, grab the communicators from your room, everyone else, pack up your shit, Skye you stay here with Jack until we're ready for take off.  I'm gonna go check Eric's ship.  There's no way in hell it needed three days of work."  As he instructed the group it all started making sense to him.  Delay our departure until Bi-Lines shows up to verify the drug is the right drug…then take us out.  Not gonna happen.  Not if he could help it.

When Eric got back with the comm units, Riddick grabbed one of them and headed for the door.  Skye saw he was about to leave and ran to catch up to him.  Grabbing his arm, she turned him to her.

"Hey," she said quietly.  Riddick moved his goggles to his forehead, his eyes flashing over her.  "Be careful," she finished, looking into his glowing eyes.  He ran his fingers over her cheek and gently grasped her chin, pulling her into a long deep kiss that stirred up butterflies in her stomach.

Skye felt a little dizzy from the kiss and barely noticed that Riddick had stopped and was walking through the door.  All was quiet behind her as the team watched the exchange with interest.  Very few people got to see this side of Riddick.  When Skye turned back to the group they all jumped as if they were caught staring and began scrambling to their rooms to pack up the gear, ready their weapons and meet at the ship.  Skye never noticed, her focus was drawn to the taste Riddick had left on her lips. Raven stepped past Skye un-noticed and went to the room Skye was sharing with Riddick to get their stuff, which wasn't much.  They all had left most of their things on the ship.

Skye snapped herself out of her daze and walked quickly to Jack's door.  She felt nervous as she stepped through the door.  She didn't want to alarm Jack in her condition but she didn't really have a choice.

Jack was still asleep on the bed with her baby and Skye looked at them for a minute, trying to figure out how she should approach the situation.  Taking a deep breath, she shook Jack gently.

"Jack, honey.  I need you to wake up," she said just above a whisper.

"What's goin' on?" she asked sleepily

"We'll be leaving soon," she answered as she helped Jack sit up.

"Really?" 

"Yea, so let's make sure you're all ready.  Okay?"  Skye looked around the room before continuing.  "Do you have anything to pack up for Carrie?"  Jack pointed to the other side of the room.

"The nurse gave me that bag full of a lot of cool stuff for Carrie."  Skye walked over to the bag, biting her tongue as angry thoughts ran through her head.  'Yea, a lot of cool stuff because after they get rid of us…they'll get it all back'.

"Is this all you have?" she asked as she looked through the clothes and the no doubt expensive supplies.

"Uh-huh.  My stuff is still on the ship.  Well, the hospital gown and the clothes I borrowed are.  You didn't find me with much."  Skye smiled.  

"Can you walk or should one of the guys carry you?"

"Well," she said slowly as she put her feet on the floor and set Carrie down on the bed.  "I think I can walk," she started but stopped as she watched Skye going over the room.  "Skye, what's wrong?"  Skye stopped moving and just stared at Jack.  "Is it bad?" she asked quietly.  Skye shifted uncomfortable before answering her.

"Um…I'm not sure how bad it is," Skye answered as truthfully as she could.

"But it is bad, right?"  Skye nodded slowly.  Jack looked down at the baby and straightened its clothes with shaky hands.  "So, what do we do?"

"Riddick's checking the ship and the others are heading there now to pack it up.  We just sit tight until they come get us."  Skye sat beside Jack and put her arm around the girl's small shoulders.  "Jack?"   Skye waited until she met her eyes.  Jack looked so grown up but her eyes gave her away, her youth and inexperience showing through.  "It's Riddick out there."  Jack nodded.  "One way or another…he'll get us out of here."  

Skye knew he could and would help them all but what scared her was what they were going to have to go through to get to that 'one way or another'.

They both jumped when they heard the buzzer from the front door.

"Maybe that's them," Jack said hopefully.

"Maybe," Skye replied skeptically.  "Stay here.  I'll find out."  Skye moved quietly to the front door and hit the view screen.  What she saw shocked her to the point of freezing her.  'What the hell is he doing here?' she asked herself as she reached for lock release.  The man standing on the other side was human confirmation of the image she saw on the screen.

"Captain Moore?"  Her Captain back on Aliason Station, standing at her door confused her as a dark cloud of settled over her brain.  "What are you doing here?" she asked a little hoarsely. 

"It's good to see you again, Skye."  His smile, which came off totally fake, made her shiver in disgust.  "As for why I'm here," he said, stepping forward making her take a step back.  "I'm here to collect my pay."  The dark cloud of confusion lifted as fast as it had settled and intense fear stabbed through her gut as she figured it out.  It was so hard for her to believe that he was in on it too.  Skye had known Captain Moore for years and not once had she ever caught a glimpse of pure evil that she was now seeing as he smiled at her.

She was in trouble.  Jack was in trouble.  Hell, they all were in trouble but she wasn't sure what she should do next.  

"Why are you doing this?" Skye asked.

"Let's just say it's decent pay.  But that's just for me letting them borrow you.  What I get for giving you to them is so much it's obscene."  Skye began shaking but she wasn't sure if it was from anger or fear.  He knew what kind of power she had and she was afraid he would sell her out as soon as he got the opportunity.  If only she had followed her instincts the moment he tested her years ago, not been so trusting, she might have seen all this coming.

The comm unit was on the table behind her and Jack was in her room but could she make to the table, send out a warning and get to Jack before the Captain seized her?  These thoughts raced through her mind with the few advance and retreat steps she and the Captain took.

Skye's breathing came fast and hard as she made a decision but behind Captain Moore, two very large men stepped through the door and she wavered in her verdict.  Unsure of what consequences her actions would cause, she felt she had to try something, anything.  She assumed they wouldn't kill her because then, she would be useless to those the Captain was selling her off to.

Judging the distance to the table with her 'sense' didn't provide any relief but she turned and ran for it anyway, barely making the connection of the electrical snap with the sudden pain in her shoulder.

Skye grasped the earpiece just as Captain Moore zapped her with an electronic pulse rifle rendering her unconscious.  Elation had filled her mind as her fingers wrapped around her only chance for help but it had only lasted a split second as her mind shut off and her body hit the table and she fell to the floor.


	20. Chapter 20

****Sorry this took so long to get out.  I'm revising the whole story, not taking anything out, just adding to it to make it better.  So if you've read this before, make sure to keep an eye out for the updates.  I'll try to make it fast.  Any comments you have are more than welcome.  Feel free to e-mail me or just submit a review.  Lots of love. =)

Riddick all but ran to Eric's ship, unsure about his decision to leave the others, to leave Skye alone to watch over Jack and Carrie but he remained alert and ready for anything as he wound through the near empty halls to the docking bay.  Hot adrenaline burned through his veins as he got closer to his destination.

Silencing his steps upon reaching the bay, Riddick stuck to the darker areas and carefully made his way along the wall to the ship.  There were a few people mingling but they were easily avoided.

Riddick circled the ship looking for the side hatch Eric had told him about.  Using the ramp would draw unwanted attention to himself and right now he needed to move about unnoticed. 

It didn't take long for him to find it.  It was located just as Eric said, about eight feet off the ground, with now way to get up to it.  So, Riddick jumped up, grabbed the edge of the platform, and with a quick silent exhalation he pulled himself up; keyed in the code for the door and slipped inside.

The place was dark so Riddick removed his goggles, scanning the area carefully.  He was in a small empty room and the only door in there should lead out into the hall near the room he and Eric shared.  No one would know he was here because he could check the entire ship in the dark.  

He started down in the engine room his eyes glowing in the near darkness, reflecting the light from all the control buttons on the panels throughout the room.  Moving fluidly, he checked all the gauges, switches, and connections but he couldn't find anything wrong.

He climbed back up to the main deck and continued to move silently throughout the rest of the ship, checking every detail he could think of.  Nothing was out of place.  Eric's ship was fully stocked, fueled, and ready for take off but it wasn't going anywhere.  His earlier suspicions were confirmed.  It was just a delay.  

As Riddick finished up, a sudden sharp pain stabbed through his left shoulder blade almost sending him to the floor.  Once he regained his balance he turned to fight but there was no one there and the pain was gone as fast as it had hit.

He was breathing hard, trying to shake the confusion form his senses.  "What the hell was that?" he asked out loud.  The question still lingered in his mind as he stepped into the cockpit and peered out the glass.  Raven, Kyle, and, Eric were headed his way and what they didn't see were the security guards heading _their way.  Riddick quickly hit the button on his earpiece._

"Eric, you have company," he said.  Eric got the message and spotted the guards but it was too late.  They couldn't avoid a confrontation.  From Riddick's vantage point the scene being played out below looked normal and as he watched he tried to beep Skye but he got no response.  A strange twisting sensation started up in his belly, a sign of fear, the first one he's felt in a long time.  Something was wrong and he felt helpless to do anything about it.  He was really losing his edge.  His focus was scattered and he fought to bring it back under control, which was a good thing because the group down below were now heading to the ship.

Riddick wasn't sure what was going on but when he heard the ramp opening, he took off down the hall and ducked out of sight.

He could hear voices as they came up the ramp but it was only Raven and Kyle; it seemed Eric was distracting the guards with small talk to keep them off the ship.

Kyle was stowing their stuff and after a backwards glance towards Eric, Raven set out to find Riddick.  As she passed by the intersection Riddick was hiding in, he grabbed her arm, covered her mouth with his free hand, and pulled her to him.  He pressed her to the wall and leaned in close so she could hear him.

"What's the deal?" he asked, slowly taking his hand off her mouth.  All Raven could make out was the steel glint of his eyes. 

"They're letting us pack up but they need to talk to us about a few 'details' of the mission."

"Yea, I'll bet."  Riddick eased his grip on her and moved back, barely enough to give her some breathing room.  "They say talk but I don't think it's what they really have in mind."  Raven understood what he was talking about and it made her shudder against him.

"Do you think they'll kill us?"

"Don't know," he replied, looking out into the hall to see if they could still talk.  All was clear for now but he didn't have much time.  "I tried to reach Skye but she didn't answer," he continued, not turning his gaze back on her.  Raven's breathing hitched.

"What do we do?" she asked in a shaky whisper.  Riddick finally turned to look her.

"You three do what you're told; I'll take care of the others."  He started to release her but grabbed her arms again.  "Remember, you don't know where I am."  Raven nodded and he let her go.  As she walked down the hall and into who knows what kind of hell, she glanced over her shoulder and saw the two points of light that were Riddick's eyes, dipping slightly as he nodded to her.  Raven felt safer knowing he was there and she finally understood the strong connection Skye had with him.  She knew, some how, that he'd be able to get them out of this mess.

Kyle, Raven, and Eric allowed themselves to be escorted by security through the twisting maze of hallways and into a small room that looked like an interrogation room, double-sided mirror, and a table in the center with a few chairs. The three of them sat side by side and Raven began tapping her foot with obvious nervous tension as the two guards in the room with them watched her curiously.  

"How long are we going to have to wait?" she asked, her voice a lot stronger than she felt.

"Don't worry, it won't be long," one of the guard's answered.  Her tapping resumed and Kyle reached out and put a hand on her knee to stop her twitching.  She jumped at the contact and looked over at him, realizing what he was doing.  There was a calming feeling about his hand on her knee and she gave him a small smile, which he returned, and she took a deep breath to try and relax.  It wasn't like her to feel nervous like this but a lot was happening and people she cared about were involved and that changed everything.

Eric sat on the other side of Raven, looking like he was bored out of his mind.  He was pretty good at that but it was just a cover; he was extremely focused and was readying himself for anything.  That was kind of hard to do considering he could not imagine what was coming next.

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Riddick had listened as the ramp closed and remained in his hiding place a few tortuously long minutes before heading to the hatch.  Only the air was disturbed as he dropped to the metal floor into a crouch, there was no other sound.  He did a quick scan of the area before moving up against the wall.  There was no one around that he could see and he wished more than anything to have Skye's 'sense'.  He could hear and feel people before he saw them but he felt that it might not be good enough this time.

The tension in his body was building the closer he got to their room.  He almost knew what he was going to find there but he forced that thought away from his mind and focused on the fact that he hadn't run into one person on his way back.  There were too many people that worked here to not run into at least _one_ of them.  That was bad enough but when he finally reached the door, he could feel the danger that had recently been there, hanging in the air like a bad dream you just woke up from.

When he stepped into the room he wasn't shocked to see the condition it was in.  The room was empty, completely void of life.  Riddick managed to keep his cool as he strode to the door of the bedroom Jack had been in, knowing full well she wasn't in there.  He eyed the broken table, stepping carelessly over the broken pieces that littered the floor.  Taking a breath, he placed his hands on the cool steel door, focusing on its caress as it slid open.

His heart quickened in pace as he stepped into the vacant room.  The sheets and blankets on the bed were in disarray and a bag sat on the floor, untouched, but there was nothing else.  Riddick couldn't figure out what happened here but he was pretty sure who had won this little battle.  

Clenching his fists, feeling the muscles burning in his forearms, Riddick turned and stepped back out into the main room.  He angrily kicked through the debris when something caught his eye.  The book Skye had found, detailing the experiments that were going on here.

 A sleek smile crept over his face as an evil idea formed in his head.  He made for the door fast; looking both ways as he moved into the hall, then broke into a run for the nearest elevator.

************************************************************************

Skye slowly came around almost painfully confused.  She kept her eyes closed, feeling out her location, taking mental notes of any immediate harm that could come upon her.  Satisfied that she was okay, her eyes opened and adjusted to the dim light.

Looking left then right, she could see her wrists were bound with rope and her arms were out-stretched while she was seated, her feet free of any restraints.  Concentrating further, she could feel that there were three men outside the door but no where else.  She was kind of surprised that her head was really clear for the first time since joining the team.  In fact, it was clearer than she's ever known.  Her head buzzed almost with a sense of precognition.  That laser blast seemed to have kicked her 'sense' into high gear. 

Testing the ropes with a few quick pulls brought the dull ache in her shoulder to a full throb.  She groaned her way quietly through the pain and pulled on the ropes again when it passed.  They appeared to be weak and she smiled on the inside.  She must look fragile to other people or they would have secured her with something like metal chains.

Sudden movement outside her room brought her to immediate attention.  Two of the men were leaving the area but the remaining one was at her door.  There was a click as the lock disengaged and the door slid open.  The man's form was backlit by the light from the hall making his features appear to be non-existent.  He stepped into the room with careless confidence and approached her quickly.

Skye felt repulsed by the vibes he was putting off with every step.  It was a cold evil feeling that most people would connect with Riddick, but even though she could feel Riddick's animal side, it never felt anything like this.

She pressed her back to the wall as he crouched down in front of her, putting his disgusting hands on her knees.

"Looks like it's just you and me," he drawled in a voice slightly altered with some sort of accent.  "They told me to keep my eye on you so that's what I intend to do."  He reached up and traced the neckline of her shirt, dipping his fingers underneath to feel the slight swell of her breasts.  Skye flinched on the inside but she kept her eyes and face emotionless, something she'd picked up from Riddick.

The guard looked her over, being very obvious about where he was looking and he didn't seem bothered by her lack of response.

"Well, actually, I think I'll keep more than my eyes on you."

"Why don't you just kill me?"  Skye spat out.  The man laughed, a rough scratchy sound that made her cringe.

"I'd really like to but they need you alive.  It seems you have something they want."  His breathing picked up as the hand on her knee slid up her thigh, right to the junction and he squeezed hard.  "Seems like you have something I want as well."

************************************************************************

Riddick had the most evil smile on his face as he stepped out of the elevator onto the lower deck.  The atmosphere around him was radiating with animal heat, but it wasn't only from him; there were things worse than him down here and it struck him funny that it wasn't the first time his level of evil was surpassed.

He listened carefully for unusual sounds, almost expecting to hear the whooping and clicking of those creatures back on that eclipsed planet.  But all was still. Riddick took carefully maneuvered steps down the hall to avoid calling attention to himself, opening access tunnels and propping the door to the stairwell open as he proceeded, and the farther he got; the more the hallways became filled with noises that tickled his ears.  Heavy thuds on concrete, the high-pitch screech of something sharp being dragged across metal, the raspy breathing of something big, and other sounds of movement behind the closed doors he passed.

Riddick ran his hand over the walls and doors on his left as he walked, silencing whatever it was on the other side, as if they sensed a likeness in him and quieted down out of respect.  The hall was once again in complete silence as Riddick rounded a corner and came to a dead end.  This was it, the end of the road, literally, and all hell was about to break loose at his command.

What he was about to do was dangerous but it was their _only_ chance to get out alive.  His team was good but they needed a distraction.  He just hoped they would be ready for what he about to unleash.

Riddick absently rubbed his left shoulder, still feeling the sting from the phantom hit he'd taken earlier, his mind drifting to Skye, wondering if she was okay.  He closed his eyes and took slow even breaths, preparing for the run ahead and the fight for survival from the hellhounds he knew would be biting at his heels.

Without another moment of hesitation, Riddick broke into a run taking long powerful strides around the corner.  He hit the switch on the right, releasing the lock and opening the door, then the left and back to the right, all the way down the hall.

Growls and snarls emanated through the open doors behind him but he kept going, there was no turning back now.  A shrill howl of pure delight rang out to him that made his skin crawl.

Riddick was going to take the stairs up, a faster route than the elevator, and just as he stepped onto the landing, the lights went out.  Not really a problem for him but he wasn't sure how the others were going to handle it.  He ripped his goggles off his head and shoved them into his pocket, taking the stairs two at a time, resisting like hell the urge to look back.  Those things weren't wasting any time; he could here the heavy pounding of their feet as they surged forward.  It wouldn't be long before they found the open doorways Riddick had left for them.

As he passed the first floor, he was suddenly bathed in a dull red light, emergency lighting; a female computerized voice came over the intercom system saying, "Station is on lockdown, lower-level lab has been breached.  Warning: breach in the lower-level."  

_Breach in the lower-level my ass_.  Riddick thought to himself.  _There was nothing to goddamn breach._  There must be some asshole in charge of security on that level; either that or those in charge thought they were above and beyond any harm their little experiments could cause.  Over-confidence can certainly come back and bite you in the ass.

************************************************************************

Skye suddenly found herself in complete darkness and she took it as an opportunity; bringing her knee up hard, she caught the guard by surprise right in the crotch and he fell to the ground screaming in agony.  She kicked out with her foot and managed to get a lucky shot to the side of his head and the screaming came to a halt, as he lay there unconscious. 

Skye pulled as hard as she could on the ropes, ignoring the burning pain that moved from her shoulder into her arm, the pain only made her pull harder, and with a simultaneous snap, the rope broke and she was free.  

She blindly fell to her knees and crawled to the fallen guard, searching his body for a weapon just as room was filled with red lighting.  There was a voice coming through the intercom but the blood rushing through her ears and the pounding of her heart drowned it all out.

She found what she needed, a fully loaded 9mm, and another full clip, which she slipped into her pocket before running to the door.  With the gun pointed straight ahead, she stepped into the hall and started down, only stopping when she heard the voice on the intercom again.  This time she heard it, something about a breach in the lower-levels.

_Shit, that had to be Riddick_.  She thought as she started running, heading for Jack and the baby, very afraid of what could now be roaming the station, at least her sense was working properly but she was very afraid for the others. 

************************************************************************

As soon as the lights went out Kyle squeezed Raven's knee hard and Eric put his arm out in front of her, not wanting to lose each other in the black out.  The eerie emotionless voice over the intercom made the blood in their veins freeze and they all knew it couldn't get much worse than this.

With red light filling the small room and reflecting off the glass, it looked like they were sitting in the middle of a blood bath and the two guards, after hearing the warning, panicked and fled from the room.  Eric stood, pulling Raven up with him.  She looked to the ceiling in confusion as Kyle stood and moved in close to her, taking in the worried expression on her face.

"Looks like this is it," Eric said as he moved to the door.  "We gotta find weapons because I have a feeling we're in for one hell of a fight."


	21. Chapter 21

_Where the hell could she be? _Skye thought frantically.  She had to stop at an intersection and think; the red lights and the incessant droning from the female voice over the intercom system was screwing with her head.

"Come on, you can do this," she said out loud.  "You had it a minute ago."  Her hand gripped the butt of the gun with an intensity she wasn't even aware of as she wracked her brain.  She was on the seventh level, docking bay was on three, Riddick and the rest of the team were somewhere in that area but nothing on Jack or Carrie.

Skye headed left; repeatedly checking her gun to make sure it was ready to go as she passed the stairwell.  That's when she heard it, a noise that strangely enough could be heard over the annoyingly calm voice that echoed throughout the hall.  A deep rumbling, unearthly roar; something that would only come from the pits of hell managed to reach Skye's now sensitive ears.  Chills ran down her spine as she approached the door and with a trembling hand, she pushed on the metal bar, opening it just a fraction.  But that's all it took.  The sound hit her like a blast wave.  It was like millions of demons were snarling, growling, and pounding their way to her, and they were getting closer.

Skye pulled the door shut hard and backed into the wall behind her, breathing hard as fear and adrenaline rushed through her veins.  Riddick had let out the test subjects and judging from what she had read about them, they were all in deep shit.

With no time to waste, Skye took off at a full run down the hall, looking for another way off this floor.  The medical facility was on the floor below her and it was as good as any place to start looking for Jack and her baby.  She trusted that her 'sense' would find them…eventually.

***********************************

Riddick was still in the stairwell passing the fifth floor when his breathing became labored, slightly unusual for him but his body needed the extra energy the oxygen would provide so he let it happen, let his breathing grow hard.

He pulled open the door to six and stepped into the hallway, looking slowly around him, trying to discern any unusual sounds over those that were blaring in his ears.  He headed right, walked the corridor with slow, silent steps, pausing only long enough to pull his shiv out of his boot.  At the intersection he went left, peering through the windows in the doors as he moved.  Medical equipment, beds, stark white walls…yeah, he was on the medical level.

Somewhere up ahead and around the next turn, there was a loud bang.  Riddick instantly tensed and moved against one wall, easing towards the source of the sound.  He froze at the corner and listened.  Someone was walking to him; he could hear their boots thunking softly on the metal floor.  Riddick made a quick assessment of the identity of the person; lightweight, cautious, prepared, probably armed.  A smile crept over his face as the scent of woman filled his nose, a very familiar scent.  He tucked his shiv back in his boot and moved right up to the corner.

At just the right moment, Riddick reached around the corner, grabbed a handful of the woman's shirt and pulled her to him.  His hand went over her mouth and his arm around her waist.  And immediately upon contact his heart fluttered.  Not because it was just a woman but _his_ woman.

She fought and struggled with him for only a second before she stilled in his arms.  Riddick eased his grip on her so she could turn around.  Their eyes met and she gasped before throwing her arms around his neck.  He held her tight against him, feeling immense relief that she was alive and okay.

Skye knew it was Riddick from the moment he reached out and grabbed her but for a second she almost didn't want to believe it in case she was wrong.  Well, she wasn't wrong.  There was no mistaking the feel of his body, the strength of his arms around her, and the way her heart began beating out of rhythm.  Only Riddick could make her feel this way.

She pulled away just as he did, their lips finding each other and melding together in a searing kiss.  For just a moment, all the noise around them faded away as they reunited in a passionate greeting.  Skye released his lips but continued to drag them over his, the softness and the heat of them stirred up feelings in her belly in spite of what was happening around them.

Riddick's hands moved up to her face to hold her still as he deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into the hot confines of her mouth.  She welcomed it with a satisfied moan, leaning heavily against him as his tongue slid over hers, exploring every crevice, every corner while her hands moved down his chest, settling over his massive pecs.  They twitched underneath her hands with every move he made, with every shuddering breath he took.

Skye felt weightless, dizzy with the taste of him, overwhelmed by the feel of his hard body, surprisingly relaxed by the safety he wrapped her in.  As much as she wanted to continue this, it had to end and Riddick pulled away, his hands remaining on her face.  He searched her eyes, her face and then smiled, warm and sweet.

"You ever heard of Sirian?" he asked, keeping his voice low.  Skye shook her head, her eyes wandering over his features.  Riddick smoothed the dark curls away from her face and smiled again.  "I think it's a place you would like."  His smile turned thoughtful for a second as his eyes moved away from her.  He nodded and refocused on her, "Yeah, you would definitely like it."  

Skye returned the smile and put her hands over his, filing the plant's name into her memory, hoping to hold on to this moment for a little longer when her 'sense' kicked in.  Skye's eyes grew wide as she pulled away from Riddick.  His smile disappeared, his brow creased with concern.

"What is it?" he asked as he retrieved his shiv once more.

"They're on the move," she answered; turning back the direction she had come from.

"Who is?"  Riddick called out as he ran to catch up to her.

"Jack and the baby.  They're heading down."  She was about to continue when something behind them crashed, the sound of steel being torn in squealing torment.  They both turned around and Riddick stepped in front of Skye putting his arms out to keep her behind him.  A high-pitched wheezing sound filtered through the warning speech making the blood in Skye's veins freeze.  It was different than what she'd heard before but it was no less disturbing.

"MOVE!" Riddick growled roughly.  Skye didn't hesitate to ask why, she just ran back to the stairwell she just used.  She was too afraid to look back but she could feel Riddick right behind her and beyond that there was a power and evil that made her shudder.

Skye threw her body into the door to open it, ignoring the sting in her hip as it hit the metal bar; stumbling as it gave easily and almost falling but Riddick grabbed her arm to steady her.  He kept his hold on her elbow as they descended the stairs.  When they reached the landing to the fourth floor Riddick stopped and turned Skye so she was facing him.

"I had to let them out.  Raven, Eric, and Kyle were taken by security, I had no idea where you, Jack, or Carrie were so…" Skye put her finger over his lips to quiet him.

"I'm not questioning why you did it.  I'm not questioning you at all.  Hell, if you hadn't let them out I never would have gotten away."

Concern danced in his eyes and when he spoke, his voice carried a hint of emotion.  "Did they hurt you?"

"A little, in my shoulder."  She reached up to massage her injury when it dawned on Riddick that the phantom hit he'd taken earlier was the same time she was hit.  His connection with this woman was so strong that he felt the pain just as she had and it almost scared him.

He moved closer to her, wanting to touch her when a shadow from above caught his attention.  He stopped moving and looked up.

"What?" Skye asked, following his line of sight.  Without saying anything he took a hold of Skye's shoulder and turned her back to the stairs, urging her to keep going down.  She did without delay.  There was an urgency in the air, a living thing that pushed them along, forced them to move faster…it was fear.

They passed level four and were headed down to three when Skye came to a skidding halt, forcing Riddick to slam into her back.  He steadied them both and was about to ask what she was doing when more movement below them disrupted the thought.  Shadows, big and small slithered along the walls and up the stairs.  Skye backed into Riddick and he turned her, guiding her back up the stairs, keeping his hand on her lower back.

Almost frantic now, Skye pulled open the door to the fourth floor and ran through.  She was tripped up by something…something hard and sharp that sliced through her cargos just below her knee.  

Riddick charged through the door in time to see Skye go down.  His senses went full alert as the air around him was disrupted.  He ducked as something heavy swung over his head.  Stumbling back to get out of the way of the second swing, Riddick hit the wall hard and fell to the floor.

What was crouched a few feet away from him was a creature that should never be possible.  It looked like a skinned tiger with no tail, no ears, and slick gleaming skin stretched tight over impossibly large muscles.  The head was all wrong, nothing like a tigers.  The mouth was huge and open, razor sharp teeth lined ever space in its jaw making it look like it was smiling, cutting all the way back to where its ears should be.  The eyes were on either side of its pointed head, rolling out of sync like their purpose was just for show but Riddick immediately saw his disadvantage.  Those eyes were watching everything around it; there was no way to sneak up on it.

***********************************

"Raven!" Eric called out.  "Where are you?"  The three entered a dark weapons storage room just as the warning over the intercom was cut off half way through its speech, plunging them into silence but not all was quiet.  There were sounds of gunfire, screams, and the howling of something expressing its pure delight.

Eric tried not to listen and called out for Raven again.  This time she answered, grabbing his shoulder.  "What?" she asked and Eric jumped back and into Kyle.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, straightening up, not seeing the smile on Kyle's face.

"Getting weapons…here."  She handed him a high-powered shotgun and flipped the built in flashlight on.  The white light hit his face, blinding him.  He grunted and pointed it to the floor, blinking a few times.  The weight of the weapon in his hands made him feel a little better about the whole situation.

With weapons ready, they gathered around the door awaiting their orders.  "We get to the ship, get it powered up, and we hold off what we need to hold off until the others get here."

"What if they don't?" Raven asked quietly.  Eric froze for a second then met her eyes.

"They will," he said firmly.  "We're not too far from the docking bay doors.  Kyle, you watch our ass, Raven, I want you on my right."  They nodded in unison as Eric slowly opened the door.  He peered carefully into the hallway, seeing it was clear, and motioned for the others to follow.

Raven went after Eric and Kyle followed, keeping his light on the dark path behind them.  The noises around them were almost deafening, the screams and the inhuman shrieks, but the halls they moved through were clear.

The docking bay was another story.  There were people everywhere, pushing through crowds, running into each other; trying to board any available ship.  Total chaos reigned, people panicked, and Eric's group watched in amazement from their place by the door.  There was something among the group, something they couldn't see, something that was the root of all the terror.

Raven stepped to the right of the door and moved behind some crates, watching the scene through the slats of wood.  Eric moved left and up a few feet, out of Raven's sight and Kyle dropped to one knee and continued his watch on the hallway.

Eric was trying to discern the best path to the ship when he felt something cold and hard pressing against the back of his neck.

"Goin' somewhere?" asked a familiar voice.  Eric didn't have to turn around to know who it was…one of the guards that had been watching them earlier.  Even with all the shit that was going on, this guy wouldn't let up.

Eric shook his head and rolled his eyes as the guard continued to speak.  "Drop the gun and put your hands up."  Eric carefully put the gun down and stood up.  "Hands up!" the guard yelled, jabbing his gun into Eric's neck.  Eric followed his orders and the guard grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him back.

Raven and Kyle caught sight of Eric at gunpoint at the same time and raised their weapons.

"Put them down…if you know what's best."  Kyle looked over his shoulder to Raven and nodded to her.  She put her gun on the floor along with Kyle and the guard pushed Eric to them, keeping his gun sights on them.

"Come on, man.  We're not the enemy here," Kyle said harshly.  All the response he got was a hoarse laugh.  The guard reached to his belt and grabbed his radio.

"Hey, Reston," he said then paused.  "Got 'em."  His smile was wicked as he stepped closer to them.  "Looks like we got ourselves a payd…" The look on the guards face contorted suddenly as his words were cut off.  It happened so fast that no one was sure they even saw it.

Something very sharp and claw like had sliced through the air and was gone.  The trio stared on in shock as the would-be rich guard slowly slid apart and fell in two pieces onto the ground; sliced clean across the waist.

Eric recovered first, going for Kyle and Raven's weapons.  "Here…you two stay together.  Circle the bay until you get to the ship.  Stay hidden the best you can.  I'll go the opposite direction."  Kyle listened and nodded while Raven continued to stare wide-eyed at the dead guard.  "Go now!"

Kyle forced Raven's gun into her hands and grabbed her arm, pulling her against the wall while Eric took off the other direction.

"Come on, girl…stay with me," Kyle said, shaking Raven out of her stupor.  She snapped into focus and followed Kyle closely, glad he was taking charge.

***********************************

The experimental creature began its advance on Skye as she crawled backwards to retrieve her lost gun.  Riddick flanked the monster to try and either get a slice in or get to Skye but it saw him and blocked his path.

"SHIT!" he yelled as he tried the other side with the same result.  A head on attack only made the animal turn around, snapping angry jaws on him, but now Riddick had its attention.

"Skye!" he yelled, moving to try and see her around the monstrosity.  He caught a glimpse of her pulling herself to her feet before his view was blocked.  "Get your ass down to three.  I'll take the long way around."

"I'm not leaving you!" she yelled back.  The creature started to turn at the sound of her voice so Riddick slapped his shiv on his other hand, the noise drawing it back to him.

"Right here," he said low and rough, making sure the creature remained focused on him.  "Skye, don't argue with me.  Get the FUCK outta here."  And she did.  She reluctantly turned her back on Riddick and ran.


End file.
